


Selenelion: New Rise

by CatchthePetals



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 94,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchthePetals/pseuds/CatchthePetals
Summary: When the Volturi retreated from that snowy field in Forks, they did so with every intention of returning. Now, twenty-five years later, the old threat is revived and everyone is in danger. Will Shauna Black, Alpha of this generation's Quileute tribe, and Annabelle, the newborn vampire, be able to discover and correct the past? The blood moon has arisen, and the armistice is broken.
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. Traces of a Half-Life

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to Stephanie Meyer.
> 
> Note: This is an A/U where 1) Esme Cullen was killed by the Volturi and 2) Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater married. Also, since it's the next generation, there are a lot of OC characters.

Carlisle Cullen's POV

Losing Esme had been a shock. I still couldn't believe it. With the incident involving Renesmee, I realized, with much sadness, how deeply afraid of us Aro was and how badly Marcus and Caius wanted us dead. When they saw so many nomads banding together, in a way that they had never been able to do, they marked me as a threat. I was no longer the young vampire living in Volterra to learn from them. In the Volturi's eyes, I had grown to be the head of my "coven". But I wasn't. I never had been. I was the father of a _family_ and so, it had hurt that much more when my wife was ripped away from me.

After Esme's passing, my family and I traveled to South America to spend time with Huilen and Nahuel. Most importantly, I hoped that Nahuel could teach our family about Renesmee. But I also hoped that the new terrain of South America would distract my family from their pain. I knew, however, that I could not be distracted from mine. I did not want to be a further burden to my children, so I asked them for permission to travel for a hundred years or so. They granted it to me instantly, with a flurry of kisses and hugs.

So I traveled to wherever my feet took me. I wandered for many years, but I eventually ended up back in London. I had actively avoided this city for centuries. In my mind's eye, I heard the cries and shrieks of dying innocents, both on the human and vampire side, as the Churches led hunts against supernatural creatures. The irony of my once being the son of an Anglican pastor who hunted vampires with a vengeance hit me hard as I stood in the now modernized streets of London. But being in this city again reminded me that I had, indeed, once lived a life without Esme: a lonely life, but a long one.

I turned again to what I had occupied myself with before then: medicine. I applied and interviewed for a position as a doctor at a hospital. When the director looked at my records and asked me to head a new program on cancer treatment development, I agreed immediately. I hoped the treatment would make a breakthrough. But inside, I wondered how many lives I would have to save before I could even begin to forgive myself for losing hold of Esme's.

* * *

Annabelle's POV

Officially, it should say "Taylor" up there, next to Annabelle. But in all honesty, I don't know my last name. I guess I never had a real one, just one assigned to me by the orphanage.

I grew up all my life in an orphanage. I was one of the lucky ones because I was able to go to school. I loved school. It made me feel normal. I was especially enraptured with science and medicine. It seemed so fascinating to me that our bodies required the same attention as our minds. Other people thought that mental states of distraught were profound, but that sick bodies were disgusting. But to me, the fact that sick bodies can get better if they're treated was evidence that love was real. Or, in the absence of love, care, maximized by knowledge, could substitute. That's what doctors and nurses do - they heal people by giving care and attention to those who have struggled on their own for too long.

My dream was to become a doctor, so when the time came, I applied to a number of colleges and I also applied for every scholarship known to mankind, literally. I had finally put together enough money to go, albeit with a loan, when I fell sick myself. At age eighteen, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. But the doctors managed to catch it in the early stages, so "there was hope." They told me that I needed to keep an eye on it, but that it was impossible to make a serious diagnosis at this stage. I refused chemotherapy because I knew that financially, I would have to forfeit college to undergo the treatment.

Four years later, in the middle of my attempt to attend medical school, I became seriously sick. The cancer in my lungs had spread, and quickly. This time, the doctors pushed me to undergo chemotherapy. But I had no money left. It had all been spent on tuition. Then, one of the doctors told me that I could sign up to be a test patient. There were many hospitals that were conducting trials for new possible cancer treatments. They accepted patients for free, although it could be very competitive to get a spot at the hospital. And of course, the flip side was that there was no guarantee that I could get better. But with cancer, that guarantee was always highly uncertain. So I agreed. I sent letters to all the hospitals my doctor recommended. I was accepted at a small hospital in London.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Dr. Cullen. I am the doctor in charge of your treatment."

A young man, blonde and tall, and extremely pale, stood in front of me, holding a doctor's coat and clipboard. He was probably good-looking by anyone's standards, but there was something slightly unnerving about him. Perhaps it was his eyes. They were a peculiar color and they were so...

"Ms. Taylor?"

I grimaced slightly. I never could get used to that name.

I nodded and said, "Hello, Dr. Cullen. Thank you for doing this."

"Not at all," he said graciously.

He asked me to take a seat and I did. Then, he began to describe the treatments I would undergo.

I stopped him by saying, "You know you can do whatever you want to with me. I'm a test patient. I'm just lucky to be here. I'm certainly not in a position to refuse."

Dr. Cullen paused and looked up at me. "Won't it ease your mind to understand the process?" he asked me.

"I think I understood the gist when I read the research papers," I replied. "I mean, I wouldn't mind you explaining the science driving it all. That would be interesting. But, what I mean to say is- you don't have to read out disclaimers and all that. I already signed away most of my rights in the legal and financial forms."

Dr. Cullen replied, "Well, between you and me, we can still institute all of the usual patient rights. Perhaps you sit here due to financial reasons, but I don't. I'm here to help you, if I can."

I blinked as the warmth of his words washed over me. Then, I smiled.

"Thanks, doc," I said.

He chuckled slightly. "Now, from what I hear, we should proceed with stage one as soon as we can, to ensure the cancer cells stop multiplying…"

* * *

Once the treatment was underway, I felt better and worse at the same time. My body felt like it had more energy, but I also felt nauseous and restless. During the course of the actual treatment itself, I often had to lie still for hours as I received the test therapy. Then, I had to lie still even longer as Dr. Cullen examined the results.

When my treatment had finally ended up for the day, I tried to distract myself from the nausea and restlessness by reading. I'd brought my medical textbooks with me, in some vain hope that I would make it through this and find a way to scrape together enough money to attend medical school after this.

There was a knock on the door. I put the book down on my bedside table as Dr. Cullen walked in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me as he pulled up the chair besides me.

"Fine," I replied.

"A little restless?" he asked.

"I'm all right," I said. "How are you feeling, doctor?"

"I'm fine, thank you," he said politely. While he waited for the thermometer to take my temperature, his eyes flickered over to the book on my bedside table.

"You're interested in medicine?" he asked.

"Yes, I wanted to go to medical school before… this happened," I explained.

"Well, you may still be able to go to medical school," Dr. Cullen said kindly. "More patients survive cancer nowadays than ever before, even with an initially grim diagnosis."

"I think I'm going to survive, too," I admitted. "Why else would I be reading medical books instead of… I don't know, religious texts?"

Dr. Cullen smiled as he checked my pulse. "I'm glad you think that way," he replied.

"You must have known you wanted to be a doctor from very early on," I guessed. "How else could you be so successful at such a young age?"

"No," Dr. Cullen replied. "I thought I was going to be a pastor when I was young. It took a while for me to find my calling in medicine and even longer to train for it."

So, Dr. Cullen had gone the other way. He had started with religion and ended with medicine. Why? I couldn't ask such a personal question, but I watched him as he scribbled down numbers on his clipboard with perfect handwriting. He spoke like he was much older than he looked. I wanted to ask him how old he was, but I refrained. It wasn't very polite.

Instead, I said, "I think you missed the part of your training where your handwriting turns illegible."

Dr. Cullen's eyes crinkled in a small smile, but he didn't say anything. We were both silent until he finished the tests.

"You can go home now," he told me. "Just keep me updated on how you're feeling."

"Here," he said, handing me a glossy piece of paper. "That has all the numbers of the hospital staff, including mine. If you need anything, call the front desk or if it's after hours, the emergency room."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said, as I neatly folded the paper and inserted it between the pages of my book.

"Have a good night, doctor," I said as I left the room.

The hospital was paying for my apartment just a block away. They said it was cheaper than staying at the hospital, where beds were scarce. They also said that it would help me maintain a normal life for as long as I could. I wasn't entirely sure what they meant by "normal," but I'd just gratefully nodded my head. Like I said, I wasn't exactly in a position to refuse.

* * *

It was the day of my next appointment. I waited outside Dr. Cullen's office.

When the door opened, I heard a woman sobbing. She was hugging a small girl in her arms, embracing her quite tightly. A man stepped out after them. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen," he said heavily.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Cullen said sorrowfully. "I wish I had been able to give you better news."

"No," the man responded. "In all honesty, we expected this. Free cancer treatment is a very difficult thing to secure. We knew that all along."

The family turned away and left. I couldn't stop staring after the little girl.

"Ms. Taylor?" Dr. Cullen called my name. "Please, come inside."

I did, shutting the door behind me. I sat down in the patient's chair.

Dr. Cullen sighed as he pulled his chair up next to me.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

Dr. Cullen acknowledged my words. "It's always difficult. It never gets easier, especially for the young ones."

"The young ones with families," I corrected gently.

Dr. Cullen's eyes flashed up to mine for a brief second, but I was looking down, watching him take my blood pressure.

"Were you an orphan?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Yep, all the way up to eighteen," I said, smiling. "Nobody wanted me as a kid. They said I had an unnerving maturity." I threw back my head and laughed. "First impressions are wrong. I'm as immature as they come."

The corner of Dr. Cullen's mouth pulled up. He had such a nuanced smile.

"What do most people think of you at first impression, doctor?" I asked him.

"Hm…" the doctor mused. "Well, what do I appear to be?" he inquired. His voice was light. He sounded slightly amused.

"I think _you_ have an unnerving maturity," I said, only half joking. I studied his face carefully, but nothing in his expression changed.

"You're also such an accomplished doctor," I said, and the wistfulness in my voice was impossible to miss. "You've saved so many people. The nurse told me. Your records… they're almost perfect."

Dr. Cullen kept his eyes down, but he replied, "I love the work that I do. I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to study and practice medicine. But it wasn't always smooth sailing. I have also had my fair share of… difficulties."

"But," he said, standing up and carefully noting down my numbers. "As for saving lives… Well, on that count, I hope I am what I appear to be."

* * *

We continued with the treatment. Dr. Cullen told me that I would have to lie still for eleven hours this time.

"Can I hold up a book?" I asked him. He shook his head.

So, I opted to sleep. If there's one defining trait about me, it's that I love sleep. Well, more accurately, I love to dream. I think I developed this fanciful imagination growing up as a child without toys and with playmates who were competitive rather than playful. As the years passed and I sank more and more time into dreams - both daydreams and night dreams, I independently became a lucid dreamer. That means that I'm aware that I'm dreaming and I can control and explore my own dreams. It was, and is, the most wonderful escape from reality.

There's something I want to make clear to you, reader. I love my life- so long as I remain absorbed in it. I knew my pathway growing up. I had no background, no identity that was mine, let alone money or connections or anything that might be considered a shortcut to succeed. I wasn't deterred by this at all, though, nor did I particularly mourn it. I simply realized I would have to front load my life: focus really hard for the first thirty or forty years of my life to get to a place here I could relax. But plenty of people - in fact, most everyone - live this way. I was more than willing to do this. I was happy to.

But spending my days lying perfectly still in a hospital bed, I realized how much I had been relying on my future to live a fulfilling life. I was willing to do the work, but I had hoped that I would not come up empty-handed. Suddenly, I looked back on my life without grasping at some mystical future for meaning and I saw my life as it was: a life spent looking through windows- the windows of the orphanage or the windows that books and dreams offer. I had never lived. Windows, not wings, was the misbegotten mantra of my half-lived life.

I thought that I was being smart about my life, that I thought that way because I was so determined not to lose the one golden opportunity given to my life through education- but now that it had fallen through, it was hard to justify the way I had chosen to spend my life. I had been so driven because I had taken for granted the existence of tomorrow. That was wrong. I should have lived for today.

In dreams, I was free from all notion of time. I had found a space of eternity in the depths of my mind.

A clatter of a clipboard meeting the ground woke me up. I opened my eyes to see a blushing nurse hurriedly picking up the clipboard and handing it to Dr. Cullen.

The nurse hastily left the room. I blinked slowly, rising from my world of dreams.

"Doctor, you need to stop distracting the nurses," I said accusingly.

He smiled as he walked over to me. His left hand, which was holding the clipboard, had a ring on the fourth finger.

"After all, you're married," I pointed out.

"Widowed, actually," he said. His voice was as calm as ever, but he said it so quietly and with such gravity.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I said, horrified at my mistake.

"Don't be," he replied graciously. "You couldn't have known."

_How could I, of all people, assume that he had a family?_

But before I could further my apology, Dr. Cullen said to me, "I came to prescribe you some sleeping aid, but it seems you don't need it."

"No," I agreed. "I think I'll be all right without medication."

"Do you usually sleep well or is the treatment making you more tired than normal?" Dr. Cullen probed.

"I've always liked sleeping," I said honestly, realizing how childish the words sounded only when they had already left my mouth.

Dr. Cullen smiled slightly.

I tried to explain. "I'm capable of lucid dreaming, I think."

"What is that like?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Oh, it's wonderful," I told him. "You can run on the horizon in the sky or swim in a sea of silver-flame stars. In more familiar dreams, you can find a quiet garden and just sit and let the sun warm your face."

"That sounds phenomenal," Dr. Cullen replied, smiling gently. "I can see why you like to sleep."

"Do you get enough sleep?" I asked him. "I hear you take graveyard shifts in the emergency room often."

Dr. Cullen sighed a little. "Did Nurse Evelyn tell you that as well?"

I laughed at his expense. "Nurse Evelyn never stops talking about you," I teased the doctor. But not wanting to embarrass Nurse Evelyn, I was quick to say, "But she's wonderful. I think she just does it to make me laugh, honestly."

"Does her talking about me make you laugh?"

"Oh yes," I admitted without any shame. "It's absolutely Nurse Evelyn at her best."

Dr. Cullen gave an odd expression, like a grimace tripped up in a smile.

I burst out laughing.

* * *

I felt myself growing weaker as the days went on. Dr. Cullen warned me that phase two of the treatment would make me feel fatigued. The hospital offered me a room to sleep in when treatments and examinations ran too long, but I tried not to stay overnight there. The bareness of the room made me feel like I was back in the orphanage.

About a month into my treatment, Dr. Cullen surprised me. He held something out to me. I put down my medical school entrance exams study guide and took it.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A book," he replied straightforwardly.

I thumbed through the book. It was incredibly advanced biochemistry. I loved this stuff.

"Yours?" I asked, still scanning the pages.

"Yours," he answered.

I looked up at him, surprised.

"Something all doctors should know," Dr. Cullen said with a gentle smile.

Almost unconsciously, I found myself responding to that gentle smile with my own.

* * *

The next time I went in for an appointment, I found all the ladies at the hospital abuzz, from the receptionists to the nurses to the doctors. The male staff all looked thoroughly annoyed.

"What's going on?" I asked Nurse Evelyn.

"It's Dr. Cullen's birthday," she informed me.

"Oh." I frowned. I hadn't known. I didn't want to add to the unnecessary attention he was getting, but he was my doctor and I did want to thank him. I was never going to be able to pay him back, so this was my opportunity to show my gratitude. The only problem was that I couldn't exactly go out and buy him something nice...

* * *

"Ms. Taylor. May I ask what you're doing?"

I whipped up and around at the sound of his voice.

I'd been leaning over the flower bed at the hospital, trying to pick one that most closely resembled a "thank you". I'd gone around the block and picked a few flowers. I hadn't picked very many. It made me sad that flowers died when picked. Evelyn had told me that he had the graveyard shift and was coming in late tonight, so I decided I had time to pick a few flowers and leave a note before I left.

He'd arrived earlier than expected.

"Well..." Caught off guard, I told him the truth, "I couldn't really afford to buy you a real present, so I stole flowers off of several different properties…"

"Um…" I felt a blush rise in my face as I realized I'd admitted that I was broke and a thief all in one go.

But Dr. Cullen laughed. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble," he said.

"You don't want these," I told him honestly. "They have some real presents for you inside."

"I prefer the simple things," he said, and scooped up the flowers from me. "I appreciate the thought. Thank you."

 _Wait,_ I thought, as he entered the hospital. _That's my line. Thank you._

But he was already gone.

* * *

As my treatment continued, I continued to study for medical school and tried to finish out my semester at school through online communications. But I was distracted.

If this was really going to be the last of my time in this world, then I was going to leave this life without ever having a meaningful relationship: no parents, no partners, and no best friends. I'd never even been held, except maybe the occasional hug from a friend. But I wondered what intimacy felt like. _No,_ I told myself sternly. _You're not going to inflict pain on yourself or anyone else._ _I won't get too close with anyone and I won't tell anybody that I'm ill._ I didn't realize the irony of this self-promise at the time. I wasn't aware that I'd already broken both promises to myself before I'd even made them.


	2. Golden Eyes

Annabelle's POV

Two people were hugging in the hallway. One was holding balloons for the other that said things like "Congratulations!" and "Welcome back!". She'd been cured, then, of whatever sickness that ailed her.

An incredibly complex array of emotions rose up inside me.

I was happy for her, happy that she had found the cure, happy that she had someone who cared. I suddenly thought that utilitarianism had a strong argument in its favor. Perhaps we should start by saving the people who give the most happiness to others…

"Ms. Taylor?"

I turned. I don't know what kind of expression was on my face.

"Dr. Cullen," I greeted, pulling myself together.

"It worked for her," Dr. Cullen said quietly, and he could not hide the joy in his voice.

It took me a second to comprehend what he had said.

"The treatment…?" I whispered, excited. "It cured her?"

Dr. Cullen nodded. "Yes. Although at this point, it's difficult to say whether she is the norm or the exception."

"You still gave someone their life back," I pointed out.

Dr. Cullen smiled softly at me for a split second before he said, "I must be on my way. I'll see you tonight, to check up on you after today's treatment."

I nodded and we parted. He walked one way, towards another patient, and I walked the other way, to resume my being a patient.

* * *

A week passed and I walked into the hospital again. In the hallway, I got stuck behind a person carrying birthday balloons. I frowned as I kept getting bumped in the head by these balloons. I couldn't see a thing as I got into the elevator.

"Excuse me. Excuse me," I said, but the person didn't seem to realize he was assaulting me with hydrogen puffballs.

A laugh rang out besides me and an arm reached out over my head to hold off the balloons.

"Thanks," I said, and then I realized it was Dr. Cullen.

The elevator reached the third floor and we all got out. I stopped briefly to bring some distance between myself and the man holding the balloons.

"Balloons are an unfortunate expression of static electricity," I muttered, trying to pat down my hair.

"You missed a strand," Dr. Cullen said. Before I could blink, his hand passed over my head and his fingers smoothed out the rogue strand. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, his hand was already back at his side.

"Oh… Thank you," I said.

He nodded once and walked off.

I paused. Had the balloons made my mind fuzzy as well?

* * *

Nurse Evelyn chattered to me as she bustled around, getting everything ready. She really was a lovely soul, who always brightened patients' day with her lively and amusing talk. As you might have guessed by now, the topic of said amusing talk never varied very much. It was always: "Dr. Cullen is an amazing doctor, don't get me wrong. We've very lucky to have him. I just can't comprehend why he's a doctor instead of, oh, I don't know, an actor or a model, you know? I don't understand why he chose to be a doctor, when he could have a much easier life."

"Well, it must be worth it to him," I guessed. "You're a nurse. You like helping patients, too, right?"

"True, but being a nurse is worlds away from being a surgical doctor who's the head of a new cancer treatment project and constantly taking graveyard shifts," Nurse Evelyn pointed out. I winced as she injected a shot into my arm.

"Would you rather be an actress or model than a nurse?" I asked her.

"Please. Is that even a question?" Nurse Evelyn said. "Isn't that what everybody wants to be?" Her eyes flickered over to the MCAT study book on my bedside table. "Except you," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you making fun of me?" I said, amused. "You know, there are plenty of girls who would rather be doctors and nurses than actresses or models."

"Then, _you_ should be idolizing Dr. Cullen instead of me," Nurse Evelyn said, putting a bandage on my arm. "Since you so aspire to be like him."

"Idolize him? I don't think so," I replied. "The whole concept is strange to me. We're all only human, after all."

There was a knock on the door, and Dr. Cullen walked in a second later.

"Evening, doctor," Nurse Evelyn said, handing him the clipboard. Her hand brushed against his as she passed it off.

"Thank you," Dr. Cullen said politely, and turned away.

Nurse Evelyn looked put off for less than a second before she waved to me cheerfully.

I held back a laugh as I said, "Night."

She left, shutting the door behind her.

"Well, all of your numbers look steady," Dr. Cullen said, scanning the clipboard in front of him.

Then, his voice became serious. "Now, Ms. Taylor, I have to be honest with you. We're uncertain of the results the next phase will produce. This part of this treatment has the most variables and although I would be discouraged from telling you this, I think I must tell you that I'm not entirely convinced that we've identified all the proper variables. It worked for Ms. Leighton, as you saw. But I can't guarantee the same result for you. Do you still wish to proceed?"

I nodded.

"If there's anyone you wish to visit who lives overseas, you should go before this next part of the treatment," he advised. "Just in case there are complications that would prevent you from taking an airplane."

I shook my head this time. "There's no one," I told him honestly. "And it would be a sin to fall in love now."

I meant it as a joke, but his gaze subdued my attempt at a smile.

For the first time, I felt a little irritated with Dr. Cullen. I got the distinct feeling that he pitied me.

"Not to worry," I said, trying to make my voice light. "My next life I will live a life of total sin to make up for this one. I'll be a complete heathen."

It worked. The corner of his mouth pulled up, if not very slightly.

"I would not advise living that way in any lifetime," Dr. Cullen said, but his voice was also light.

"Says the morally upstanding, dedicated doctor," I said, my voice coated in light sarcasm.

Dr. Cullen smiled. "I'm not so sure about 'morally upstanding'. I try, but I've made mistakes, like everyone else."

I didn't press and he quickly moved on.

"Besides, I'm sure you're going to be a very good doctor yourself," Dr. Cullen said. He nodded at my book. "Dedicated, certainly."

I let the compliment pass, but then found myself confessing a worry I'd never voiced before.

"No," I said quietly. "Well, dedicated, maybe, but not good."

"Why not?" Dr. Cullen questioned lightly while he examined my scan images.

"I read this book of philosophy once," I recalled. "It was for a required freshman seminar in college. I hated the class. I hate philosophy, but there was this one part that stuck out to me."

"What was that?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the scans.

"It said that the soul was a medium for connecting with other people. In a universe where only you lived, the question of soul would be irrelevant," I recited. "I don't really agree with this, but it made me think of something that I used to believe when I was very young. The orphanage had to schedule medical check-ups, and I saw the doctor caring for some of the kids who were sick. Seeing that, I made up this theory in my head..."

Dr. Cullen put down my scans and shuffled through some other paperwork.

"I thought doctors cared for bodies that lacked in love," I said, thinking out loud. "Love, but not in a romantic sense. Connection is a better word, I think. A body that is overlooked heals when somebody acknowledges it."

I hesitated and then I admitted, "But I was born without connection and I don't have any now. I'm not good at utilizing my soul, so to speak. So I don't think I'd be a good doctor. I don't think I'm capable of caring for someone enough to heal them."

Dr. Cullen looked up from the papers and said, "Perhaps you've just never given yourself the chance."

"This must sound so silly to you," I murmured, starting to feel sleepy. "You studied religion. I'm just… blathering on."

The injection was beginning to make me drowsy.

"It's the effect of the shot," Dr. Cullen reassured me, seeing my eyes slip shut.

I tried to agree, tried to reassure him that I knew, but all that came out was a "Mmm" of ambiguous meaning before I fell asleep.

I swear I heard him laugh gently as my mind gave way to dreams.

* * *

When I woke up, another nurse rushed over to me.

"Hi, I'm Simon," he introduced himself. "Dr. Cullen had to go to work the graveyard shift, but I'm here if you need anything."

I smiled at him as I sat up. "Thank you," I said.

"You're free to go, but call in eight hours so we know you're all right," Simon told me.

"Will do," I replied.

Thanking Simon again, I gathered my things and started to leave when someone entered the room.

"Ms. Taylor." It was Dr. Cullen. "You may stay here for the night if you wish. It's fairly late already."

I shook my head. I did feel tired, but I was sure it was just the drowsiness.

"Dr. Cullen," Simon said. "Aren't you doing your graveyard shift?"

Dr. Cullen held up his phone. "Yes, but there's a lull in patients tonight, thankfully, and I had heard Ms. Taylor was awake."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Cullen," I said, tiredly brushing my hair out of my face.

As I turned away, a hand gently gripped my arm, stopping me.

"Are you absolutely sure you'll make it back all right?" Dr. Cullen asked me. Concern was etched in his face.

"You can definitely stay," Simon repeated his offer to me.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I mumbled. Realizing they were concerned about whether I was conscious enough to make judgments, I offered the reasoning behind my decision. "It reminds me a bit too much of the orphanage- bare."

Dr. Cullen took his hand off my arm and Simon said, "Oh, okay. Right."

"Good night," I said again, and left.

* * *

I shuffled home, opening the door to my flat. Even after walking home to clear my mind, I still felt tired. The drugs seemed to weigh down my blood stream.

Somebody had shoved mail under my door. I bent down to pick it up and that was when I felt the first wave of nausea hit me. I ignored it and dropped the mail on the counter before I went to take a shower and brush my teeth. I felt an uncomfortable nausea rise up in me again, but I managed to finish brushing my teeth without vomiting.

Afterwards, I made my way back to the kitchen counter. I tried to block the sick feeling from my consciousness and started to open the mail I'd received. There was a fancy blue envelope with a golden sticker embossing it. It looked important, so I began to tear it open.

It was then that I felt myself start to shake and I dry heaved. I hadn't eaten anything since before I'd gone to the hospital. Once I started heaving, it was impossible to stop. I clapped my hand over my mouth as dizziness crashed into me. I fell to the floor. I coughed into my hand and felt something wet hit my palm. I felt grossed out, but when I removed my hand from my mouth to wipe it, I saw that blood had splattered down my hand and slowly dripped onto my wrist.

 _Oh no,_ I cursed in my head. _This isn't a good sign for someone with lung cancer._

Trying to breath and fighting off the nausea, I made it to the landline in the kitchen. I fumbled with the paper in the inside pocket of my jacket, but I managed to smooth out the paper enough to read the numbers. I dialed the emergency room at the hospital.

"Hello?" a receptionist answered.

"Um…" My stomach and head throbbed and my lungs burned. "I'm Annabelle Taylor, a patient. My address is 441 Ashbury Road. I think I need…"

My consciousness slipped away and I passed out, the phone slipping from my hand.

* * *

Confusion… Whispers… Blurred vision…

Hushed, but frustrated voices were going back and forth.

"The treatment would work, but it's not compatible with her body."

"If the treatment isn't saving her life, it's not working."

"No, but everything is reacting like it normally does. It's just not helping the particular form of cancer she has. It could help millions of people, just not her."

"Then it's not working." The person sounded as though he was keeping his temper in check.

I blinked. It was Dr. Cullen.

"Ms. Taylor," he said.

"Is this a dream?" I asked hoarsely. My throat felt awful.

"I'm afraid not," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not spiffing," I admitted. "But not terrible, either. I feel better."

"Good," the doctor said, and I could hear the relief in his voice.

His eyes tightened slightly and I knew what was coming.

I know that look. I've seen it before.

"Going to have to pull the plug soon, eh?" I felt a smile grace my lips as I teased Dr. Cullen. Perhaps it sounds unbelievably nonchalant, but I didn't know how else to deal with the situation.

"No," Dr. Cullen responded immediately. "No, the treatment has worked for other people. It may yet still work for you. Your body's positive reaction may just take a little longer to kick in."

"So it's best not to give up hope," Dr. Cullen finished.

I wanted to agree, to soothe him, but I couldn't help and think of the little girl and her family.

Dr. Cullen seemed worried as he watched my expression.

"Ms. Taylor," he began, but I interrupted him by shaking my head. "Doctor, I don't doubt that it would work. Not if you say otherwise," I said. "But…"

"But?" he prompted.

"The treatment works well on others. Just not on me," I repeated what I had heard.

"We don't know that yet," he countered.

"Dr. Cullen," I said, and I gave him a knowing gaze.

He held my gaze for a second before he sighed, confirming what I had said.

"It's fine," I said, speaking more to myself than to Dr. Cullen. "I can't say I missed an opportunity. I tried the treatment, didn't I? I was selected for it among countless others. I know that. It's good that it's me, really. There's no one who'll miss me."

I tried to smile, but Dr. Cullen's solemn eyes made it difficult. _How could eyes that were so golden be so sad?_

Annoyance rose up in me again. _Why can't he just play along with me for once? Why does he always have to see right through me?_

"Stop it, doctor," I ordered without really realizing that I was saying it aloud.

Dr. Cullen blinked. "Stop… it?"

"Your eyes…" I explained. "They're sad. Stop that."

Realizing how immature I sounded again, I laughed a little.

His eyes lightened a little, but he retained his forlorn expression.

* * *

I stayed overnight at the hospital.

Dr. Cullen had insisted that I sleep on the decision to terminate the treatment, so I retorted by scheduling an early meeting with him tomorrow. There was only six hours until the meeting, so I reluctantly stayed at the hospital.

To my surprise, Dr. Cullen had set me up in a nicer room. I felt bad about it. I didn't want him to act out of pity. I was lucky to have been brought up in the orphanage I was. Most kids are left abandoned or have to move around orphanages. I didn't.

I sighed. For once, I didn't want to sleep. I stared out at the night sky through my window before my stare landed on my bedside table.

Since it was an upgraded room, there were books on the bedside table. On top of the stack was my medical textbook, and underneath were books supplied by the hospital. I scanned the spines: _Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre_ , and _Wuthering Heights._ I recognized them as romantic classics, but I'd never read them.

I hesitated, then I pushed aside my textbook and took up _Jane Eyre_. I'd read quite a good portion of it before I fell asleep.

* * *

"Annabelle."

I looked up, startled. It was the first time Dr. Cullen had called me by my first name.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. His voice relayed the utmost gravity.

"I do not advise this," he stated explicitly. "There may yet be hope."

"Scientifically, there isn't," I countered gently. "I've read all the papers. The treatment depended on this phase to separate the cancerous cells from the non-cancerous so that the next phase could target the cells without destroying the usual body-sustaining mechanisms."

Dr. Cullen sighed. He knew better than anyone that what I was saying was true.

"I have a request," I ventured.

"A request?"

"Yes. When I leave, you'll be able to take on another patient, right?"

Dr. Cullen nodded tiredly.

I felt a pang of pain in my heart for this man before me. How many times had he done this before, lost a patient? Each loss must have weighed on him heavily, and then, at such a young age, he had even lost his wife.

I took a deep breath. I still had to get my request through to him. "Well, when you pick a new patient, can you make sure it's someone who's very loved?"

Dr. Cullen looked at me, surprised and more than a little confused.

"A child with two worried parents, maybe," I supplied.

I saw the understanding filter into his eyes.

"Of course," he agreed.

I smiled. "Good."

"This is not a simple decision," he warned, but his voice was gentle. It was almost as though he were… pleading. "It's irreversible. You shouldn't take it lightly, even if it is the noble thing to do."

He hesitated before he said, "You are allowed to save yourself, Annabelle."

Upon hearing his words, I felt an unfamiliar and nameless emotion jolt to life somewhere deep inside of my heart, but I swallowed it back.

"It's not a simple decision. You're right," I said. "But that's why it needs a simple answer."

He watched me with eyes that were both sympathetic and disagreeing. Even though he was as courteous as ever, something about his gaze made it clear that he wasn't willing to let me go if my only reason for terminating the treatment out of sheer pessimism. And I realized that I owed him an explanation. After everything Dr. Cullen had done for me, the last I could do was try to explain my decision for giving up on him first.

"You know what's really difficult about cancer?" I murmured. "I mean, besides the medical difficulties."

Dr. Cullen waited for me to go on.

"It's not like taking a bullet for someone," I told him. "Even though you have it, someone else is going to get it, too. You haven't saved anyone by taking it on yourself. That's what makes me angry. There's no… point to this. There's no reason for me to have it other than to…"

My voice trailed off for a moment before I gathered my voice again and said, "So this is why I've chosen the way I have. If I can't be a doctor and help several people, then I want to give my opportunity to someone who still has a chance."

Dr. Cullen didn't respond right away.

In truth, I was afraid of his answer. If he said something about my being allowed to save myself again, I didn't know how I would react. Trying to keep my nerve, I spoke again before he could respond. I managed to say nervously, "I do have one question, doctor."

"Yes?"

"How much time do I have?"

Dr. Cullen looked me straight in the eyes as he answered, "If you refuse treatment, weeks."

I blinked. He wasn't lying. I had earned enough respect from him to hear the truth.

 _Okay,_ I told myself. _This is okay._

I stood up from my seat. "If you opt of the program, you will no longer be funded for housing," Dr. Cullen reminded me.

I nodded and held out my hand.

"Thank you for everything," I said genuinely. My warm feelings towards the doctor were reflected in my voice.

He grasped my hand. His hand felt cool against my skin.

I smiled and turned away to pick up my book. Then, I realized with a shock that I had taken not only my medical textbook, but also Jane Eyre, tucked away under my textbook.

"Oh no, I must have grabbed this when I grabbed my textbook," I said, sliding it out. "I should go return this." I laughed a little, embarrassed at myself. It was the first time I'd ever read a romance book, but Dr. Cullen must have just thought I was another perpetual romantic.

"No need. Take it with you," Dr. Cullen said. "Consider it a birthday gift from us."

I paused. "It's my birthday?" I asked. A strange feeling washed over me.

"So your medical records say," Dr. Cullen said, lifting the clipboard on his counter. "You didn't know?"

I shook my head slowly, lost in my memories. "I'd forgotten."

I looked over my shoulder and said, "Good-bye, doctor."

He inclined his head. "Take care."

I left.

His eyes were solemn to the end.

* * *

I finally got to open the fancy blue envelope. It was an invitation to present at a major biology conference. My undergraduate work had caught the Association's attention. I smiled. A few months ago, this would have made me the happiest person in the world. It still did make me feel proud of all I had accomplished, but given that I had only a few weeks to live, I wanted to spend my time in other ways. I penned them a reply letter, thanking them for their invitation but saying I was otherwise preoccupied. I decided to walk to the post office to send it.

The summertime air was warmer than it usually was here in London, but still cooler than the summers I was used to in California. I took off my jacket and let the breeze pass over my arms. It felt nice. It all felt nice, I thought. How could it not, at this point?

I smiled to myself as I walked down the streets. I sent off my letter and then walked back a ways before I stopped at the park. I sat on a bench and stared as the scarlet rays of a summer evening shined candescently through the trees. _It's going to be fall soon,_ I realized. Then, I remembered again: _It's my birthday today._

I actually don't know if today's my real birthday or not. I was too scared to ask the orphanage. What if it was false? A date they'd picked randomly, like they'd randomly selected my last name. I was already a non-entity to the world. If even my birthday was false, I thought I might disappear. I remembered growing up without birthday parties. The orphanage was short on resources just taking care of us day to day. But before I was old enough to realize that I was lucky to just be taken care of by this orphanage and its overworked staff, I used to be so angry that we never celebrated my birthday. What was the point of arranging a fake birthday, my eight-year-old self thought bitterly, if we were going to treat it like it didn't matter?

Now, of course, I realized that the orphanage had virtually given me a sword and shield to protect me throughout my life when they made my official documents and picked out a last name and possibly a birthdate for me. But I was too foolish to realize that back then.

 _What would I realize about myself now,_ I mused, _if I lived another ten years and had the chance to look back?_

_Would I finally admit to myself that I'd actually been terrified of dying?_

_Or would I finally confess to myself that I'd fallen for my doctor and his solemn eyes?_

I closed my eyes as the last rays of the sun washed over me.

I would never know.

* * *

Days passed in an unexpectedly calm manner. I found a local supermarket that hired me and I moved into a smaller flat that had leaky faucets and a door prone to sticking. I knew I should probably go back to California, but I couldn't. There was no one waiting for me and the only people that knew me were people that knew me as a student. I would be expected to continue the same amount of academic work I'd done as before, or else be forced to announce that I had a terminal illness. Neither of those options sounded appealing to me. But I didn't want to terminate school altogether. I kept doing the schoolwork, though I didn't sign up for the MCAT. Doing schoolwork kept me feeling normal when I was an orphan, and it kept me feeling normal now. Working at a supermarket made me feel normal, too, except I was constantly reminded of how American when I was when a customer asked me where the "aubergine," "biscuits," or "crisps" were.

It's a bit ironic, I suppose, but knowing that your impending doom is coming gives you a sense of fearlessness. I talked to strangers, asked them about their stories, and slept on subways and sat on the rooftops of ten-story buildings and let my feet dangle over the edge. I actually slowed down with my life and tried to see the moments for what they were. But I never let myself get too close. When I stopped to pet strangers' dogs, if the conversation went on for longer than seemed usual, I quickly moved on. If somebody complimented me in any way, I brushed it off and got out of there. In my head, I laughed at myself. _You're acting so vain,_ I realized. _Stop pretending like any of these strangers are really interested in you. So what if they talk to you for a bit longer than normal? You're going to pretend like they might fall in love with you? Stop fooling yourself._ But I had to. I was scared of what might happen if I didn't. I heard the doctor's voice in my head: _"Perhaps you've just never given yourself the chance."_ And I never would, I was determined about that.

Strangely, I missed him. If I had ten years' perspective, I wouldn't have found it strange at all. I would have understood how deeply I'd come to appreciate his presence. But the current "me" did find it strange. He was only my doctor. In the most immature way, I was kind-of glad I got out of the hospital before I could make a fool of myself. _I can't believe I went outside and picked flowers for some doctor,_ I thought to myself as I stacked goods on the shelves. I knew all the attention made him uncomfortable. What was I doing, falling in line behind all the other women clamoring for his attention? I sighed and laughed at my immature self.

I tried to keep my life normal. I didn't go on any trips or write any letters or anything. I did try to appreciate art a little more. I went to music concerts- none of the rowdy ones; I didn't have the energy for that anymore- but the quiet ones at opera halls or small alleyway cafes. At first, I spent whatever change I had from rent on museums.

When I spent time at the museums, I heard people comment on the aesthetics of a painting or sculpture. It only took me a little while to realize that aesthetics meant something different to me. People thought "aesthetic" meant "beautiful," "singular," or "ethereal". But everything was like that for me because everything was ephemeral. So, I slowly gravitated away from music and museums and came back to the basics: nature and time.

I cherished the moments where I sat in the park or walked alongside the tree-lined path. The fading of the summer sun was lovely and never ceased to amaze me. I wondered if the sun was afraid to fall past the horizon every evening, but then I remembered that it didn't really fall. It only looked like it. In reality, it only "passed on", onto the next patch of Earth.

I tried to think of my time here in the same way. Soon, it would be time to "pass on".

* * *

As the leaves on tree turned, I lost most of my voice. I could whisper and if I made a real effort, I could speak, but not for a sustained amount of time. Sometimes I had trouble breathing. I couldn't take long walks anymore. I had to stop and sit to regain my energy and breath every few steps. Coughing fits left me exhausted for hours afterwards.

On the first day of fall, I faltered. I collapsed in the middle of the supermarket, dropping some poor old lady's peaches right on the floor.

An ambulance was called and I was shuttled over to the hospital. A doctor was already assigned to the emergency room, but I had only been there a few minutes when Dr. Cullen burst in. The doctor currently beside me rushed over to him.

"Dr. Cullen."

"Dr. Pierce."

The pain in my chest was reaching an all-time high. I was sweating and my vision was starting to blur.

"She's under my charge, Dr. Cullen," Dr. Pierce said.

"I realize that. But she was my patient for a long time," Dr. Cullen responded urgently. He must have realized how my heartbeat was fading. "Please."

Dr. Pierce sighed and stepped aside. "There's nothing I can do for her anyways," he said quietly and left.

"Annabelle."

"Doctor," I managed to say, straining my voice.

"I can hear you," he said kindly. "You can whisper."

I nodded. Then, I gritted my teeth as the pain spiked again.

"Here, grasp my hand," Dr. Cullen offered. I slid my hand in his waiting one. When another wave of pain wracked my body, I accidentally gripped his hand too hard.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"It doesn't hurt," he promised me and squeezed my hand gently. His cool touch was a relief from the heat in my lungs and heart.

"Dr. Cullen..." I whispered.

"I'm here, Annabelle."

I hesitated.

"You can tell me anything," he assured me. "I'm listening."

Finally, I admitted, "I'm scared." He squeezed my hand gently.

"I'm scared of never having lived," I whispered. "All my life I've stared out windows, thinking that life lay in the future. I regret that the most."

"And I'm scared of dying," I confessed, and a tear slipped down my cheek. "I told myself I wasn't. I told myself I knew it was coming and that it was okay. I tried to tell myself that dying was just falling asleep. But… you don't get to practice letting go."

Dr. Cullen's eyes shone with sadness. That was what woke me up from my fear. _I'm always making him look that way._ I tried to smile. When he didn't smile back, I whispered with effort, "Please, stop looking so sad. I wish… I wish you would be… happy."

For one shining moment, I saw his eyes widen slightly, startled at my words. Then, the light went out and there were no windows, no future, no life, anymore. Nothing - not even golden eyes.


	3. Embers of a Hearth

Shauna Black's POV

Theo Uley and I simply never got along. Our parents (Jacob and Leah Black and Sam and Emily Uley) would try to make us get along, but it never worked. At age seven, we were too busy grabbing each other's hair and screaming at each other to start a lifelong friendship. At age twelve, we were too busy calling each other every foul-mouthed thing our childish minds could think up and then being scolded by our parents afterwards to make peace. At age sixteen, we were too busy ignoring each other to care at all about one another. Then, we went our separate ways for college and I completely forgot about him.

I loved college. I crushed on my junior Physics tutor named Ben, until we finally started dating in my second semester. I also played varsity soccer. The year flew by and summer vacation was upon me more quickly than I could have imagined. After I made it through finals, I packed everything into my truck and drove back to La Push. It was a long drive- about sixteen hours- but I was grateful for it. I needed the chance to clear my head before I went back to La Push. Living on a college campus felt so different from living on a reservation. I felt like I had grown as a person living outside the reservation, but I wanted to retain the respect, culture, and dignity of having grown up in La Push. Going back home, I was a little scared to test how much I had changed.

* * *

I finally drove up to our house. I took a deep breath before I killed the engine and got out of the car. My father, Jacob Black, was already out the front door and walking towards me. "Come here, you," he greeted me, dragging me into his arms for a hug. He squeezed me tightly.

"Ow," I mumbled. "You still hug too tight, Dad."

He chuckled. "And you still complain about it."

As I turned around to pop open the trunk, Dad reached out and playfully tugged on my ponytail.

"Dad," I grumbled at him, "I'm too old for that kind of stuff now."

Dad smiled cheekily at me. "What are you talking about? Your neck should be the strongest it's ever been."

"That's the worst joke I've heard in a while," I retorted, but I couldn't help smiling at it.

"Well, that's how you know you're home."

As Dad and I pulled my luggage up towards the house, Dad asked me, "How was the drive up here? Long?"

"A bit, but at least I didn't have to get on a plane," I replied. "Speaking of, is Gabe back home yet?" Gabe, or Gabriel, was my older brother. He was two years old than me and went to a different college, which was much further away.

"Not yet. He'll be home in two days, though," my father told me.

We made our way into the house. "Where's Mom and Grandpa?" I asked, noting the silence in the house. We entered my room and set my luggage down.

"They're down at the Atearas," my father told me. "They're having some sort-of get together tonight. I think Uncle Seth will be there later, too."

"Why aren't you there?" I asked.

He lifted his eyebrow at me and said, smiling, "You think I'd let you come back to an empty house?"

In truth, I felt tired after the long drive. But I knew my father had stayed back for me, so it took me less than a second to reply, "Let's go down, then. I'm just going to take a quick shower, okay?"

After showering, I felt too tired to pull on anything more than a shirt and jeans and some old sneakers. Besides, this was the reservation. I'd grown up here bare-faced and shameless and it was going to stay that way. I pushed my messy, long, and still damp hair away from my face.

Mom had already taken the car, so Dad and I took the motorcycles.

"You up for riding?" Dad asked me. "It's been a while. You could ride with me, if you want."

"Are you kidding? Of course I can ride by myself," I said, as he handed me my helmet.

Dad laughed as he sat on his motorcycle and kicked off the stand. "All right, kiddo. Let's go."

* * *

I trailed my father all the way down to the Atearas' house. We walked up to the front door and Dad knocked. I could already hear several voices conversing merrily inside the house. The door opened and a little girl ran out and wrapped her arms around my leg. I recognized Lucy, Brady and Alison Fuller's daughter.

"Hey Lucy," I said, laughing a little as I squatted down to hug her.

"Billie!" she said excitedly. "You're back!"

I should explain. My name is not actually "Billie". It's Shauna Willow Black. My middle name is a tribute to my grandfather, Billy Black. Billy is a very respected figure around here. He's the Head of the Quileute tribe council. But that's not why he's my favorite person in the world. There's something about the way my grandfather sees the world that moves me, makes me think bigger, and dream of adventures. It pushes me to become a better person and to commit to my values no matter what.

So when I was a very small child, I demanded that people call me "Billie" too, not understanding that that was his personal name, as opposed to a title for leaders. I think I used to believe "Billy" was the equivalent of "Chief," but for those who brought together people by storytelling. Everyone was highly amused by my insistence to go by "Billie" as a tiny kid. So at first, it was just a hilarious nickname. But over the years, the nickname stuck. My parents and brother still called me Shauna and my grandfather called me Willow, but to the wider Quileute community, I was "Billie".

I picked Lucy up in my arms and we headed inside. The house was full of people. There was my mother, and my grandfather. There were the Atearas, Quil Ateara V and Claire. They had two children, eighteen-year-old Quil Ateara VI and fourteen-year-old Nadine. There were the Fullers, Brady and Alison Fuller and their little kids: nine-year-old Lucy, in my arms, and eight-year-old Noam. There were also the Calls, Embry and Mia and their seventeen-year-old son, Liam. And there was my grandmother on my mother's side - Sue Clearwater, now Sue Swan. She was standing besides her husband, Charlie Swan. When she saw me, she came over to me and hugged me tightly.

"Welcome home," she said warmly. She gave Lucy a little kiss on the forehead, too.

Then, Mrs. Fuller came over to relieve me of Lucy. "Good to have you back," Mrs. Fuller greeted me. "Lucy never stops whining about how you don't play with her anymore."

"I miss her, too," I admitted, patting Lucy on the head as she snuggled up in her mother's arms.

As Grandma returned to Charlie's side and Mrs. Fuller took Lucy away, my mother came over and embraced me. "Shauna, I'm glad you made it home safe," she said. In a quieter voice, she added, "Thanks for coming. I know you're probably tired."

"I'm fine, Mom," I replied. "How are you and Grandpa?"

"I'm all right, and Grandpa is… Well, you just have to look," my mother said. With a warm smile on her face, she nodded towards where my grandfather was.

I looked over and saw my grandfather sitting in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, telling little Noam a story. For a moment, I just listened to his voice. It was exactly as I remembered it ever since I was a little girl: warm and gravelly, like ancient wind whispering through strong trees. His tone, along with his slow and practiced cadence, was made to lift stories out of their slumbering states, to weave detached words into a marvelous tapestry of adventures.

I wanted to speak to Grandpa, but I didn't want to break the spell for Noam. So I headed to the kitchen instead. As I stepped in, I realized that this is where all the kids were mingling- around the food, of course. Quil was sitting back lazily, throwing grapes into his mouth. He was sitting between Liam and Nadine.

Just as I walked in, Quil muttered something at Nadine. Nadine's head shot up as she demanded, "What did you call me?" When Quil didn't respond, Nadine turned to Embry. "What did my brother just call me?"

Liam looked up at her angry face and said, "Er- Well, it wasn't particularly… I mean, do you want to know?" He cringed when she shot him a glare.

"Oh Billie, you're here," Quil said, nodding at me. "You hungry? Come join us."

"Yeah, there's plenty of food," Liam said invitingly.

Nadine sighed in relief when she saw me. "Finally, another girl."

"Even if it is Billie," Quil grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nadine snapped.

I refrained from rolling my eyes as I sat down besides Nadine. "It means I'm not exactly 'feminine'," I translated.

Nadine rolled her eyes in my stead. "What the hell does 'feminine' mean nowadays, anyways?" she said defensively. "People should just be whatever they want." With that, she stood up and left the room.

"Man, I can't wait until my sister is over this prissy stage," Quil said.

"She's not wrong, though," Liam said thoughtfully.

"She's _never_ wrong," Quil retorted. "That's why she's so annoying."

"Ever consider that it's you who might need to grow up?" Liam replied.

"Liam. Shut it. She wins all the arguments without you taking her side already."

I looked at Quil with an amused expression as I got up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Quil asked.

"I wanted to walk down to beach to catch the sunset," I said. "I haven't seen a La Push sunset for a while."

Quil snorted. "Awfully sentimental of you."

"I'll come," Liam volunteered, standing up. "Unless you don't want me to?"

"I don't mind. I'm going either way," I said, leaving the kitchen.

As I left, I heard Quil telling Liam, "I don't want to go."

"Come on, she just got back. We should go with her."

"That's not why you want to go, and you know it. You want to see the sunset too, don't you? You sentimental sap."

"If I say yes, will you hurry up and get out of your chair?"

Quil sighed, but he and Liam both followed after me.

I told my mother where we were going and started to lead the way down to the beach. We walked civilly for a grand total of thirty seconds when Quil shouted, "Race you!" We all took off, sprinting towards the beach as fast as we could.

I was faster than Quil and Liam. I don't know where I get my speed from. Growing up on La Push, I was always active. Playing soccer, I had learnt to manage my speed over distance; to increase stamina and to learn to switch off between sprinting and jogging. But even before all of this, I had been fast. I remember in first grade, I'd beat the boys in our makeshift races in the grass field behind our school. Needless to say, I was not very popular at school.

Reaching the beach first, I pumped my fist in the air when I suddenly felt my legs swept out from underneath me.

"What the -? Quil!" I shouted. He'd picked me up.

"You said you wanted to see the ocean," he said, carrying me to the ocean.

"Don't you dare-!" He grinned and dunked me into the ocean, laughing.

It was June and the sun was still clinging onto the horizon, so the water wasn't cold at all, but I was still mad. I came up, sputtering. "I said I wanted to see the _sunset_ , you moron!"

"Oh, oops. My bad," he said mock-innocently. He flashed me a mischievous smile. As he made to walk away, I grabbed his shirt sleeve and tugged. He laughed and grabbed my shoulders to stop me from wrestling him now. He was a lot bigger than me. But I managed to get my foot behind his and pushing him forward, I neatly tripped him into the ocean. He went down with a surprised yell, falling back with a big splash into the ocean. It was perfect timing, too. A large wave crashed over him at exactly that moment. I shouted and laughed. Next to me, Liam shut his eyes when Quil fell and splashed water all over him, even though he was standing a little ways away.

"Might as well get in!" I called to him.

With a resigned sigh, Liam slowly dropped himself into the waves.

We ventured fairly far out, taunting each other whenever someone (usually Liam) expressed a desire to go back. But when the last rays of the sun actually disappeared, we knew it was time to head back in. We swam back to the shore and hurried back to the house, cursing each other for forcing each other into the ocean in the first place.

* * *

Laughing, I opened the door of the Ateara house and walked in.

"Went for a night swim, huh?" Mrs. Ateara smiled at us. "Stay there while I get you some towels. I don't want you tracking sand all over my house."

"Yes, ma'am," Liam said.

Just then, I noticed that someone new had joined the get-together. Theo Uley was sitting on the couch, with Noam on his lap. He was speaking to my grandfather. Our eyes met for a brief second. I blinked and looked away.

Thankfully, Quil's mother returned with towels just then, giving me an excuse to turn away without having to acknowledge him.

"Rock, paper, scissors on who gets to shower first?" Quil suggested.

"Nonsense, Billie has the honors," Mrs. Ateara waved her son's suggestion away.

"That still leaves you and me," Liam said to Quil.

"Thanks, Mrs. Ateara," I said gratefully.

"Of course, I'll try to find some clean clothes that will fit you in the meantime," she replied.

I tried to rush the shower, knowing that Quil and Liam were both waiting on me. But the hot water felt so good. When I came out, dressed in one of Nadine's "oversized" shirts, that was definitely a little too tight on me and a pair of Quil's old sweats, Quil glared at me. "You took your time."

"I know," I replied. "Sorry, Liam," I added casually.

"Who's next? Who won?" I asked Quil and Liam. Before either of them could answer, I smirked and said, "Let me guess, Liam did."

"How'd you know?" Quil frowned at me as Liam headed towards the bathroom.

"Quil, you suck at rock-paper-scissors," I reminded him. "I don't know why you suggested it. You've only been on a losing streak since you were five years old."

"Hey, wait. Are those my sweats!?" Quil noticed suddenly.

I laughed and turned away from him. He started to follow me when his mother shouted from the kitchen, "Quil, don't you dare move!"

"How did she know!?" Quil said, exasperated.

"Billie, darling, come over here and eat some food! I just made it!" she called to me.

I smirked at Quil as I threw my towel over my shoulder and headed to the kitchen.

"Uncle Seth!" I said joyfully, realizing that Theo was not the only newcomer.

"Billie, hey!" Uncle Seth said, opening his arms for a hug.

"I'm all wet," I warned him.

"I don't care," he said and embraced me anyways. "I've missed you around here, squirt."

The kitchen table was now filled with adults. I spotted my father and mother sitting together, with my mother leaning on his shoulder. Just then, Uncle Seth slung his arm around me and led me over to the stove, where Mrs. Ateara was piling freshly cooked food onto a plate for me. Inside, I felt warm again. Not as free as I had been at college, but so content. I was home.

* * *

Leah Black's POV

I looked over my shoulder to see my daughter sleeping before I gently closed her bedroom door. Then, I checked to see that Billy was sleeping comfortably in the room at the end of the hall. His elderly face was peaceful as he slept deeply. Even so, he looked very tired.

I walked into the living room and sat on the couch besides my husband, Jacob. I sighed.

"What is it?" Jacob asked me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Should we tell her about Billy?" I said quietly.

Jacob was silent. I felt a flash of guilt. This was his father we were talking about. I turned to him and said, "Sorry, Jake. I'm not-"

"I know," Jacob said, his eyes downcast. "It has to be addressed. Dad's not… He's not doing as well as he used to."

We were both quiet for a long moment.

"Do you remember we used to worry?" I asked him. "Back when the vampires were around, none of us were aging, but your dad would. We were scared he would never be able to meet the next generation of the tribe."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. It's sort-of weird, isn't it? You and I are in our mid-forties, but we look ten years younger. I wonder if Gabe and Shauna have noticed it. It's not like we've ever told them we're shapeshifters."

"It's not a burden I want them to have," I reminded him. "It's been twenty-five years since the Cullens left, and of those twenty-five years, it took the entire pack five long, painful years to get ourselves back to normal again. I don't want Gabe and Shauna to have experience that hardship."

Jacob nodded. "I know, Leah. And I know we've all collectively made the decision not to tell our children about our time as a pack. I'm just wondering if they noticed anyways, especially since our parents didn't transform with us."

"We were lucky," I said softly. "Your Dad and my Mom did get to spend time with everyone's children. And frankly, I don't know how we would have raised Shauna without your Dad. She was always getting into trouble when she was younger."

"Yeah, Dad loves Shauna," Jacob said. "He's always said that she has a bright spirit."

"And Shauna loves him," I replied. "She respects and admires him in a singular way. You know how she is, she's bad with authority. She challenges people. She doesn't take orders sitting down, ever."

I raised my eyebrow at Jake and said, "Because you're an Alpha male."

The corner of Jacob's mouth pulled up as he retorted teasingly, "No, it's because you're such an Alpha female."

I stared at him for a moment. I knew Jacob was unwilling to talk about the fact that his father was very old now, and close to dying. Honestly, I wasn't immune to the subject, either. But I wanted to ease our children into the difficult news and I had no idea where to start.

"Sorry," Jacob said. I could tell he knew that I had noticed him avoiding the subject. "I just can't-" He took a deep breath.

"You don't have to, Jake," I whispered. "Don't think about it anymore."

Leaning forward, I kissed him. He returned my kiss with his trademark warmth and tenderness. His warm hands slid over my shoulders and he held me to him for a moment. When we parted, I rose from the couch and held out my hand. He took it and I led him to our bed, where we fell asleep in each other's arms.


	4. Phoenix Rising

Annabelle's POV

A spurt of intensely pain fire decimated my body and licked my tarred bones. _Burning. I was burning._ This fire did not come from the cancer in my lungs. It was too painful to be fire of any human design. This was heavenly fire, or hellish fire. I couldn't tell the difference. All I can tell you is how fiercely it burned. _Kill me,_ I begged in my mind. But then, this must already be dying.

It went on and on. I was shocked by how long my body could burn. I would have thought that I was charred into nothing but ash by now, and yet the fire continued to vaporize and destroy me.

I would have traded anything for the burning to stop. I would have begged, I would have forfeited anything. I was a fool for not believing in religion. Hell truly was a pit of fire, and it seemed I was destined to burn forever. No body could burn this long. Only a soul could. _What crime had I committed?_ I wondered. But I couldn't concentrate long enough to answer. Even my sense of identity, made up by the experiences I'd had in my short life, was slowly claimed by the raging fire.

But then, I heard the most unbelievable sound- I heard myself scream. It was a long, piercing scream, drawn out by the pain of burning so intensely for such a long time. But my mind reeled with shock because _I had a voice._ _How? Cancer took away my voice. How can I scream?_ I could only marvel for a split second before the fire struck forward again. Its fangs ripped through my ragged flesh and struck against my bones, cracking them before grinding them away into nothing. The venom poured into my bloodstream, leaving nothing but raw, burning flesh behind as it raged forth. I cried out again.

I thought I heard someone besides me, nearly weeping as they apologized. I heard a voice say over and over again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The person tried to comfort me as well, promising, "It's almost over. I promise. It's nearly done."

* * *

One day, the promise came true.

The fire retreated from my fingertips, crawled up my arms and legs, burned right out of my torso, and gathered in my heart and throat. My heartbeat suddenly took off. It was soon fluttering so fast it was a steady hum. A whimper escaped my lips. Then, a gasp pierced the air as the last surge of fire swallowed my heart entirely.

I stopped breathing. I didn't need to. An unbearable thirst remained in my throat, but otherwise, the fire seemed to be extinguished. I expected smoke and screams as my senses returned to me, but there was nothing, only stillness.

Then, a single word: my name, wrapped in a question: "Annabelle?"

My eyes snapped open.

As soon as I realized someone was beside me, I threw myself into a defensive posture. A snarl escaped my lips.

"Annabelle, it's all right. I won't hurt you."

My eyes took in, in more vivid detail than I would have imagined possible, the person standing in front of me: a man with pale skin and blonde hair, and wearing a concerned expression and a doctor's coat. I paused. His golden eyes, anxiously gazing at me, were… familiar.

"Dr. Cullen?" I murmured wonderingly. I stiffened at the sound of my voice. Not only could I speak effortlessly, but… my voice! It sounded strong and melodious and had a quality of clarity I'd never heard before. The words fell like rain, soft and smooth, but almost… glittering. It unnerved me. And then- I could hear so much more. I could hear a rumbling and roaring very close to us, as though we were in a thunderstorm.

"Yes. It's me," he said, still watching me nervously.

 _Why was he looking at me like that?_ _In fact, why was he here at all?_ _Hadn't I died?_ _Was this heaven, after all?_ Embarrassed at the sentimental thought, I shook my head furiously.

"Annabelle?" Dr. Cullen inquired.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. But it had the opposite effect. Suddenly, I was intensely aware of the burning thirst in my throat. I stiffened.

Dr. Cullen immediately recognized my expression. "You're thirsty," he stated.

I nodded.

"I can show you how to hunt," he offered.

I stared at him, wary. _What the hell was he doing here? What was I doing here? And why did I feel so… different? Had I died or hadn't I?_ Before I could ponder those questions, the thirst flared up in my throat again. I nodded again.

"Follow me," Dr. Cullen said. He stepped away. With my focus no longer solely on Dr. Cullen, I finally took in my surroundings. I realized that the immense amount of detail in the shaded lighting and surrounding stone amounted to a cave.

Following Dr. Cullen, I stepped out of the cave. The light threw me off. Everything glistened. The air and the dust motes that swirled in it were universes unto themselves.

"I know it's distracting, but try to focus for now," Dr. Cullen told me. His voice was sympathetic and patient, but firm. He was standing a little ways away, at the very edge of the rock cropping we were on. I joined him, still not entirely trusting him. But I followed his gaze and looked down. I stared in wonder as I realized we were standing at the very height of a mountain and standing just above a waterfall. That explained the rumbling and roaring, then. I breathed in the fresh mountain air and realized how much my senses had improved. I could see, hear, and smell further and better. My touch and taste senses provided me with much more information than I was cognizant of before. Again, I could not understand what was going on.

Dr. Cullen touched my shoulder gently. It was but a slight touch, a feather grazing my skin, but I snarled and pulled back. "This way," Dr. Cullen said, not responding to my defensive posture. He took off, running so fast I could swear he was flying. And then he really was flying, as he leapt off the stone and fell parallel to the waterfall until he landed in the water below with a perfect dive.

 _I can't possibly do that!_ I thought.

"Come, Annabelle," Dr. Cullen called from below. He hadn't spoken any louder than when he was standing right beside me, and yet, I could hear him perfectly.

I took a deep breath. Again, my mind was filled with an unimaginable amount of sensory information. I could _taste_ the fresh mountain air- but no, I had to focus. I ran forward, marveling at how effortless it felt. Only a very short time ago, I could not walk a few steps without coughing and feeling completely drained afterwards. I leapt off the edge. I felt a rush of thrill and freedom as I hovered in the air for a split second before I started to fall. I loved it. By the time I splashed into the water, I was no longer afraid, only exhilarated.

Dr. Cullen could sense the change in my expression and eyes. He smiled as he swam over to me.

"Well done," he said encouragingly. He beckoned towards the shore with his head and swam to it in a matter of seconds. I meant to follow, but I was stopped short yet again. As he stepped gracefully out of the water, the sun broke through the clouds for just a moment. Human eyes would not have been able to perceive the sun peeking out for such a miniscule amount of time. But the difference was profound to my new eyes. When the strong light directly hit his skin, I could see rainbows thrown from every particle of water clinging to his body. But Dr. Cullen himself underwent a frightening change. His skin took on an ashy pallor as his cheeks sunk in and his eyes darkened dramatically. His lips were tinted a blood red, a color otherwise missing from his bloodless face. He looked as though he were some demonic angel, struck down to hell by his failings in heaven. And then, protruding from his mouth, were those… fangs? My breath caught. _Is that… what I am, too? A creature of the dark…_ I could barely contain my horror.

But before I could confirm, the direct sun had passed, now veiled in a thin sheen of cloud. Dr. Cullen looked exactly like himself again, despite the light sunlight glimmering down on him. He knew, of course, that I had seen, and was no doubt reading the barely concealed terror in my face. But he simply waited for me patiently, smiling gently at my bewildered and awed expression.

Again, I forced myself to focus as I swam forward and joined him. Thankfully, the sun remained behind the clouds as I reached his side.

Dr. Cullen looked at me as he told me, "You'll be faster than me, but I need you to slow down and stay with me."

I stared at him, confused.

"You'll see." With that, he began to run. He was barely a blur. I panicked and started chasing him. In a second, I blew past him. Startled, I stopped in my tracks. This time, he whipped by. But he kept running, waiting for me to find my rhythm and join him. I did so, controlling my pace this time as I followed after him.

"Wait," Dr. Cullen said, holding out one arm to stop me. I stopped instantly and stepped back. I still didn't trust him. None of this made sense, but understanding would have to come second, and satiation of this pressing thirst first.

"Do you smell that?" he asked me. I cocked my head curiously.

"Close your eyes," he told me.

I growled, not wanting to put my guards down.

"I promise I won't lay a finger on you," Dr. Cullen said solemnly. Then, his mouth tugged up into a wry smile. "Even if I tried, you're much stronger than me right now."

I didn't understand what he was talking about, but I closed my eyes and breathed in.

First and foremost, the smell of pine flooded my senses. Then, very close to me, there was a vibrant scent crossing light musk, something crisp like pears, and something very nostalgic like old books. But then... _there!_ I took off immediately, following the muddy, but flavorful scent of what could only be animal blood.

Only a short while later, I was faced with a furious male bear. It was fat, full from stuffing itself before hibernation. I launched myself at it. For all my strength, I was clumsy in that I didn't know how to use it yet, and there was quite a brawl before my jaws locked onto its neck. Once my fangs sank into the bear, I drained it entirely without a second thought. As the bear went limp, I finally stepped back. Slowly, the horror began to filter into my mind. I felt guilty and more than a little afraid of myself.

"What have I done?" I whispered. I felt guilty and more than a little afraid of myself.

Dr. Cullen suddenly appeared at my side. "Please don't panic," he said. "I'll explain everything. But first, let's bury the bear and get you cleaned up." He very slowly reached forward. I flinched when his fingers touched my lips, but he moved so deliberately and gently that almost subconsciously, I stayed still and allowed him to wipe the blood off of my lips.

Dr. Cullen led us back to the river running swiftly just below our cave high up in the mountains. "The water here should feel like the perfect temperature for you. Wash up here. I'll wait for you at the cave."

When I stayed frozen in my spot, Dr. Cullen sighed a little. "Annabelle."

I shivered a little when he said my name. It sounded so familiar and yet, I could hear a newfound vibrancy in his voice unfold as he said in my name. It felt almost as though I had been thrust into a fourth-dimensional world with no warning.

"It's still me," he told me, and his voice was so gentle, it was almost pleading. "You trusted me before. Please, trust me now. At least until you're ready to go off on your own. I promise that I will not make any decisions for you. But I hope that you'll allow me to explain everything to you, and be with you for as long as it takes for you to adjust to your new life."

I blinked. _Explain... everything? So, this wasn't a dream. This was reality. And he had done something to me, somehow._

"Come to the cave after you've washed off," Dr. Cullen repeated. Then, he left to give me privacy.

* * *

Once I'd washed off in the river, I tugged the torn remains of my clothing around myself and headed back up to the cave.

Dr. Cullen shrugged off his doctor's coat and handed it to me. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't bring any spare clothing." I took it from him. As I made to wrap the long coat around myself, a part of the fabric tore. I looked up in alarm, still holding the coat in my hands.

"It's all right," Dr. Cullen reassured me. "You're just a little stronger than you're used to, that's all."

"Dr. Cullen," I said, and winced when my voice sounded out.

"Yes?"

"What… happened to me?"

Dr. Cullen sighed deeply. Then, in a soft and hesitant voice, he confessed. "I changed you."

"Changed me?" I shook my head. "The treatment didn't work. How could you change me when I was dying?"

"I changed you because you were dying," Dr. Cullen corrected gently.

"Changed me into what? What am I?" I demanded, standing up. With my need for blood temporarily quenched, my prior fear of the unknown returned in full force.

 _Wait, need for blood? And those fangs I had seen in the brief window of time when the sun had shone down on Dr. Cullen full-on… Not merely that, but the fangs I used to drain the bear -_ It hit me. I gasped and the coat fell from my fingertips, from my body.

"Annabelle?" he questioned warily. He slowly picked up the coat and put it around my shoulders again. Through the newly created rip in his coat, I felt his fingertips on my skin.

"You're not cold anymore," I whispered, still disbelieving what my mind had figured out.

"No, I'm not," Dr. Cullen agreed. "We're the same temperature."

His expression was morose and his voice subdued as he murmured quietly, "I assume you figured it out just now."

The word left my lips like a muted gasp. I breathed out, _"Vampire."_

Solemn and sorrowful golden eyes watched me as I gasped out the word. I stared at him, waiting for his response. He nodded once, in confirmation. My legs trembled in fear. I thought the ground would fall from under me.

Dr. Cullen gently grasped my shoulders to support me, but I slipped out of his hands. He looked sadder than ever.

"Please sit down," he asked of me.

Confusion and fury mixed in my heart, but still, I couldn't stand the look of his face. I slowly sat. He followed my example and sat across from me.

"Since when were you...?" I asked the doctor.

He exhaled heavily before he told me, "I was changed in the 1660s."

I blinked. _He's been around since that far back?_ I didn't believe it. I couldn't. But then I remembered back to our encounters at the hospital. He had always talked like he much older than he looked. _But even so, 1660s is a bit…_ I almost laughed when I remembered that I had once accused him of having an "unnerving maturity." Little had I known how right I'd been.

But the fleeting moment of humor passed quietly as a sudden concern played out in my mind. Catching my sudden increase in anxiety, Dr. Cullen spoke to me, "Annabelle? What are you thinking?"

"How long was I... unconscious?"

"Three days," he said.

I felt a rush of relief. _So I'm still in my own time era - in the same week, even._

But there was still another, deeper question I had to ask. "Why did you change me?" I asked him. The question came out sounding like some off mixture between a demand and a plea.

His golden eyes flickered up to me, full of compassion. He spoke quietly, "I wished for you to be able to live a life beyond the window."

I remembered the last words I'd spoken- no, the last _human_ words I'd spoken: _"All my life I've stared out windows, thinking that life lay in the future. I regret that the most."_

My heart had the strangest response. Even as overwhelming gratitude rushed forth, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart. _Why? What else was I hoping for?_

"You resent me," he guessed. His face fell from anticipation to guilt and sorrow.

"No," I said, but my voice was unconvincing because I myself hadn't figured out how I felt about what had happened to me.

Dr. Cullen heaved a sigh. He thought for a moment before he said, "This may be difficult for you, but I need you to stay with me for a few months. As your creator, I'm responsible for showing you how to live as one of our kind. Would you let me do this?"

He posed the generous offer as though it were an inconvenience to me. I stared at him. _Did his compassion know no bounds? I may not know quite how I feel about it yet, but there's no denying that he gave me a second life. Then, he poses his offer to guide me as though he were putting some kind of burden on me, rather than helping me when I'm at my most vulnerable - as a newborn._ For the first time since I'd turned, I felt that I truly recognized Dr. Cullen. And with that recognition came a tangle of all sorts of emotions that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Dr. Cullen shifted uncomfortably before me. "Perhaps not," he murmured. "Perhaps you want to run away now."

"No," I protested. "No, I'll learn from you."

"Thank you, Annabelle."

I found it completely backwards that he was thanking me. _That's my line_ , I thought. Suddenly, I recalled a human memory where I had thought the same thing. It really was Dr. Cullen. I started to lean forward slightly, wanting to be nearer to him and to speak more freely with him now.

But at that very moment, Dr. Cullen turned away from me.

I felt a stab of pain in my heart. _Does he regret creating me?_

The thought that Dr. Cullen might regret changing me was too painful for me to fully comprehend. So, I escaped. I fell back into my dream world. Only this time, my dreams offered me a vast array of sensations I could never have imagined in my human form. My dreams were proportionally that much more pleasurable and imaginative. I was also much more in control. Now, I felt that I could construct my own landscapes within dreams if I wanted to.

* * *

"Annabelle."

I woke up immediately in response to his voice. My eyes flashed open and I was upright faster than I could think of sitting up.

Dr. Cullen looked at me, puzzled. "Were you… sleeping?"

"Well, yes," I replied, unsure as to why he was so confused.

His expression changed into a gentle expression as he noticed the confusion etching onto my face in response to his.

"I'm sorry. I'm just surprised because our kind don't normally sleep," he explained. "In fact, we're unable to."

"You can't sleep? At all?" I said, my brow furrowing. "Not even naps?"

He shook his head.

"Well, that explains all the graveyard shifts," I commented.

His eyes widened and he laughed. It was a heart-warming sound.

For the first time since we'd interacted as two vampires, a light-hearted atmosphere floated in between us, followed by a sensation of relief. Up until now, neither of us had been certain that the tension would ever break. Though I didn't know it, he thought that I resented him for creating me. However, I believed the mirror version of that idea: that he regretted creating me. Because of our perceptions of each other, we were careful around each other all the time, and that chilled whatever mutual bond exists between us. But, at least we knew now that humor was a possibility for us - a way of breaking that chill as needed.

* * *

In the days that followed, Dr. Cullen explained about the nature of a vampire- well, _my_ nature. I still struggled with this truth. I tried to reassure myself by thinking that if Dr. Cullen was a vampire, then there was no way that vampires could be demonic or evil by nature. But in so thinking, I realized that I knew nothing about him. _He's been alive since the 1660s. What has he seen? What has he heard? What has he done?_ I was both in awe and in terror of him. He sensed my hesitance towards him. Sometimes I think it made him sad. Often I thought I could see regret flash across his face, but I tried my best to ignore it.

One of the first things he taught me was that most vampires do drink human blood, but that he had chosen to live off of only animal blood. I smiled as he once again confirmed what I'd always known about him: He was incredibly noble and compassionate.

"It's not a choice I can make for you," he said quietly. "But I can help you become desensitized, if you like."

"Yes," I agreed right away.

"Thank you," he replied. Again, I thought: _that's my line._

* * *

When two weeks had passed, Dr. Cullen risked bringing me to a few miles away of a sparsely populated, rural town near the mountains. An utterly mouth-watering and tempting fragrance permeated the air. The scent flooded into my body and sought to control me, as though my thirst had a mind entirely of its own. I had never felt such intense desire before. _Everywhere, there were humans, and all of them smelled so…_

Behind me, Dr. Cullen reached over and placed his hands on my arms. But I knew I could throw him off. I knew how strong I was now. And this scent… It was like the nectar of paradise, calling to me. I felt my body tense as I prepared to spring into action.

Dr. Cullen gripped my arms tightly with his hands. "Control yourself," he murmured in my ear. "I know it's tempting, but you can resist."

I snarled lightly. I burned of newfound thirst. I wanted to sink my fangs into their necks and suck out-

"Stop breathing," he whispered urgently. "It will help you regain your mind."

I held my breath. Slowly, the overpowering scent dissipated into a haze, though it was still absolutely taunting.

"Well done," Dr. Cullen complimented me, but I thought it was far too soon for compliments. I ripped away from him and disappeared in a flash, tearing up the mountainside.

Once I was far enough away, I stopped and breathed in lungfuls of clean mountain air.

Dr. Cullen caught up with me. "Annabelle, that was amazing. Well done," he said, smiling warmly at me. But there was a tautness to his smile, and he was holding his arm with his other hand.

My eyes widened. "Did I hurt you?"

"Just a scratch," Dr. Cullen said, half-smiling and half-grimacing.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, Dr. Cullen, I - " I said, backing away from him. My strength scared me, frankly. I didn't know how to control it. And the last person I would ever want to hurt was standing in front of me.

"There's no need to apologize. Of course you didn't mean to. I should have anticipated your reaction. Besides…" He took his hand off of his arm. To my amazement, his skin was already stitching itself back up. A moment later, it was perfectly restored. "Vampires have strong regenerative abilities. It's limited, but quite strong."

"Are you sure you're all right?" I questioned, stepping closer to him.

"Yes. I'm completely healed," Dr. Cullen promised me. He held out his arm. "If you don't believe me, look for yourself."

I stepped up to him and holding his arm gently in my hands, I examined it. The cloth was ripped through, but his skin was completely mended.

"You _have_ healed," I said, in awe. But I still felt guilty that I'd caused him pain. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'll be better next time, I promise."

"You did marvelously," Dr. Cullen told me. "I've very proud that you were able to resist, Annabelle. It takes most vampires months, if not years, to resist any allure of human blood. It's only been two weeks for you."

"You had to hold me back, and I still ran away," I pointed out, letting go of his arm.

"What matters is that you ran _away_ , and not towards the town," Dr. Cullen emphasized.

"It was extremely difficult," I confessed. "The thirst I felt was so… intense." Even just thinking about it, my mouth swelled with venom.

"It was your first time," Dr. Cullen said sympathetically. "It would be strange if it wasn't."

"Speaking of strange," he continued, "there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Some of our kind have unique powers or gifts," he told me. "Often, it's a unique trait from their human life that manifests itself in a more potent form. Just as our senses and emotions strengthen in degree, so does your particular talent."

"Do you have a gift?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I think you do."

"Me?" I said, surprised. Then, I saw where he was going. "Oh, you mean the fact that I can sleep."

"Yes," he replied. "It's a choice, isn't it? You don't need to sleep."

I nodded. I tried to explain, "It's like breathing, I suppose. It feels better with it, but it's not necessary."

"Does dreaming feel different now than when you were human?"

"I haven't tested it very much, but I think I have more creative control over my dreams. I can create extremely intricate landscapes now, and lucid dream in them."

"Then I believe I'm correct in saying that's your power," Dr. Cullen affirmed.

"Do you know others with special powers?" I asked. "How many of us are there, anyways?"

"There are a fair amount of us out there, though we are generally not known to live in large groups. Most of us live in small covens or travel as solitary nomads. The largest and most powerful coven is the Volturi. Most of our kind consider them the ruling body of the vampire world," Dr. Cullen answered. "As for special powers, some of my family members possess unique talents."

"Family members?" I repeated, suddenly forgetting the original question.

"Yes, I have three adoptive sons, two adoptive daughters, a daughter-in-law, and an adoptive grandchild. I consider them my family."

A strange, unexplainable feeling arose in me. It was an intense feeling - almost as intense as the thirst I'd felt for human blood. I struggled to think clearly. Afraid to blurt out something that I would regret, I quickly and roughly bit down on my lip. Had I been human, I would have definitely pierced my lip.

But it seemed that there was no need to speak, as Dr. Cullen continued of his own accord, "Of my sons, one has the ability to read minds and the other can manipulate and sense emotions. Of my daughters, one is a mental shield and the other can predict the future. My daughter-in-law can communicate through touch." He spoke so lovingly of his family.

I bit down harder. _Don't say the wrong thing. He cares for these people. Don't be careless now._

But then, he looked at me expectantly. I was helpless except to wrench my lips apart. Somehow, I managed to say, "That's fascinating. I suppose it's no surprise that my gift comes from my laziness in human life."

As I watched a smile tug across the doctor's face, more questions arose in my mind than ever before. _Why is he here by himself, then?_ _Does he live with his family now? He said that he was widowed before. Does that mean his wife is…?_

I mulled over my next question for a while before I finally gathered up enough courage to ask, "Can vampires die?"

As I predicted, his eyes fell to his marriage ring. I read the deep grief on his face as he replied quietly, "Yes, vampires can die. It's very hard to kill us, but it's possible." He stared down at the cavern floor for a long while. I wondered what memory he was reliving in his mind. He quietly turned away from me. More than anything, I wanted to follow him and comfort him, as he had done for me many times. But I didn't know what I could possibly say or do to help him, so I stayed where I was, trying not to gaze at him or intrude on his thoughts in any way.

* * *

The next night, we returned to the grove of trees a few miles away from the rural village. Dr. Cullen helped me practice controlling my thirst again.

Having Dr. Cullen with me helped immensely. In fact, I doubt I could have done it without him. He stood by my side, already ready to grip my shoulders if need be. When the wind picked up, intensifying the scent - and therefore the thirst - he would murmur words of comfort and encouragement to me.

I marveled at the fact that he was a doctor.

"How can you do it?" I asked him, cowering a little as the wind blew down the mountainside, carrying the alluring scent of human blood directly to where we were standing. "I can't - I can't do this... It _calls_ to me -" I suddenly tried to leap forward towards the village.

Dr. Cullen grabbed me from behind, holding me back with all his strength. I stilled ever so slightly, not wanting to hurt him again.

"It's all right, Annabelle," he murmured. "Resist it. You can do it. It's just a sensation. You can win this temptation. It's all in your mind, and you control your mind."

With his help, I managed to refrain. _Barely._

As the sun began to rise, he suggested that we head back to the cave. I had a hunch that Dr. Cullen wanted to prevent me from seeing his form in the sun again. I was both terrified and curious to see if that was my form in the sun, too. _Of course it is,_ I knew implicitly. _There's no reason it wouldn't be._ _Stop pretending you're still human._ No, I couldn't deny that I was a vampire, especially not when I was standing at the edge of a human village, taking in the mouthwatering scent of human blood. Resisting the temptation to ravage the village was still just as difficult as it had been the first time. It was in our very nature to go after human blood, and resisting that urge once or twice did nothing to ease future resistance. This was something I was going to have work on for years and years.

* * *

Back at the cave, I repeated the question I'd asked him before, but this time not through gritted teeth. "How can you do it? Especially at the hospital. Resist the temptation to take a human's blood?"

Dr. Cullen gave me the simplest answer: "I know who I want to be." And that was all.

"You wanted to save people?" I asked him, half-wondering and half-knowing already that that was what he meant by "knowing who he wanted to be".

"Yes, that's exactly right," he replied. "I want to help people. No matter my physical form, no matter what others thought my 'inherent' nature should be, I wanted to help people."

"That's not to say that I never struggled with it," he told me. "As a young vampire, I searched through all of the old texts in Volterra, hoping that I would find some philosophy or religion that would speak to defying one's inherent nature. But I found none. In fact, I've entirely given up the notion that we vampires have souls at all."

"But," he finished, "none of my learnings changed the fact that I wanted to help people. So, I followed that calling. I never drank human blood, even as a newborn. As for becoming a doctor, it took me years to learn to resist, but I did."

I paused, lost in admiration and respect for him. But then, I thought of my own ambitions that I'd had as a human, before all of this happened. Hesitantly, I asked, "Do you think... I could do the same? Become a doctor, like you, the way I wanted to be before all of this... Do you think it's possible that I could become a doctor, too?"

Dr. Cullen smiled warmly at me. "Of course you can. I have every faith in you that you can be whatever you wish to be, Annabelle."

* * *

"Annabelle."

My eyes flashed open. My vision could see everything perfectly clearly, but I could tell by the temperature of the light that the sun was setting."

Dr. Cullen knelt down besides me. "I'm sorry to wake you. But I need to ask you: If I leave you for an hour, will you be all right?"

I nodded, thinking I'd just go straight back to sleep while he was away. I'd been riding on the back of a legendary dragon, dipping in and out of the swirling silver clouds high in the sky while huge glittering snowflakes flurried down upon us, before Dr. Cullen woke me up.

But when he left, I didn't fall asleep. I wondered if he was off visiting his family. For the first time, I felt… lonely. It was ironic in that when I was human, I should have been lonely because I had always been by myself. But in being by myself from the very beginning, I'd never experienced true absence, only the thought of it. However, having now spent a fair bit of time with Dr. Cullen, I felt his absence.

I told myself that it was simply because it was the first time I had any sort-of real relationship with someone. I reminded myself not to read into it too much. _Every relationship will feel like this_ , I thought. _It's just because Dr. Cullen is my first friend and mentor._

* * *

When Dr. Cullen returned, he came back with much-needed clothing. But there was a serious look on his face that I hadn't seen before.

Before I could say a word, he said grimly, "I have to go back."

"Go... back?" I said hesitantly.

He muttered to himself, "I cannot bring you with me. Not if the Volturi are involved. If Aro were to see you… No, more important than that, if you were harmed…" He was pacing back and forth, thinking hard to himself.

"Dr. Cullen?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he stopped pacing and closed his eyes, as though he had made a difficult, but final decision.

"Dr. Cullen," I called out, more firmly this time. I reached out and lightly touched his arm.

At my touch, he suddenly whirled around and grabbed me by the shoulders.

I froze.

"Annabelle. I have to leave."

I tried to calm down. He was gazing at me so intensely. His golden eyes were burning so brightly. I steeled myself to speak as steadily as possible. "All right. Where are we going?"

Dr. Cullen shook his head once. "No," he said firmly. His voice left no room for argument. "You cannot come with me. This is a matter concerning me and my family, and it involves events before your time. I cannot have you involved. It would be wrong. Please understand."

 _Oh._ For a moment, I stared into those golden eyes. In doing so, I confirmed the truth: _He doesn't want me to come. He doesn't want me at all._

I felt like crying, but to my surprise, there were no tears, not even close. _Of course there are no tears,_ I reminded myself harshly. _You're a vampire now._

"Stay here and continue training to resist human blood. When it becomes too much for you, remember what I've told you: It's all in your mind, and you control your mind," he urged. "Then, when you think you can control yourself, go and live the way you've always dreamed of."

Suddenly, he smiled, though his expression was tinted with weariness. "I believe in you," he told me softly. "You are, after all, the woman who can do anything you set your mind to." He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the cheek. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The strong mountain wind whistled past the mouth of the cave, utterly uncaring and cold. I didn't move or breathe for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have noticed from this chapter, sunlight affects vampires differently than in canon.


	5. Tales and Traditions

Shauna Black's POV

"Gabe!" I ran out of the house and threw my arms around him.

"Hey, Shauna." My older brother ruffled my hair as I hugged him tightly.

Mom, Dad, and Grandpa came out, too, with Grandpa in his wheelchair. Gabe greeted them all with an easy smile.

I felt like I could breathe easier with Gabe around. And it wasn't just me. Everybody relaxed around him. Even now, I could see Mom and Dad smile as Gabe greeted them. Then, with an easy manner, Gabe reached over and carefully, but smoothly, twirled Grandpa around in his wheelchair, making Grandpa laugh. My brother just had that gift of knowing what to say or do in any given moment, and I loved him so much for it.

The evening was pleasant, with Gabe telling us amusing stories of his college adventures. Apparently, he and his friends had started an intense prank war. It started when Gabe's friend, Daniel, who lived across the hall, saw fit to set up a string on top of Gabe's door, so that when Gabe came out, a bucket of pink glitter fell all over him at the same time a blown-up poster of their stern Economics professor zoomed down on the string right into Gabe's shocked face. Naturally, Gabe decided he had to retaliate. Gabe enlisted the help of a few other friends, one of whom was a Resident Advisor and therefore had the keys to Daniel's room. Gabe went in and took out Daniel's bed and put it into his own room. He also took out all of Daniel's clothes except a pair of surfing shorts. Then, he set up a large sandbox to replace the bed and filled it with sand and stuck in a few plastic umbrellas and flamingos. When Daniel came back, Gabe and his friends dumped a bucket of water on him, blared Hawaiian and Jamaican music at him, and danced around him for a solid ten minutes. After which, they dispersed with absolutely no comment, ignoring Daniel's shouts, and left him with no clothes and no bed for an entire night.

"Gabe," Mom scolded, while Grandpa, Dad, and I laughed heartily.

"It's all right," Gabe chuckled. "He had a girlfriend who was a lifeguard. I'm sure she came and saved him." He winked at Mom, who's stern face melted away.

"At least tell me you cleaned up," Mom relented, sighing. "I don't want a letter from the school asking me to pay for the renovation of a school dormitory room."

"We did clean up," he assured her earnestly. "Donated the sand to the beach volleyball area and vacuumed his room and everything. We did force him to keep the pink plastic flamingos, though."

Dad shook his head. "Gabe, you are something else." Under my Mom's stare, Dad cleared his throat and added, "Er - but that was pretty immature, you know. I'm sure you could have made better use of your time."

Gabe grinned. "Yeah," he admitted. "I know." He looked over at me and teased, "But one of us has to be the problem child, and you know Shauna would never do such a thing. Look at her, diligently eating her spinach. I heard you came back with straight A's, you big nerd. And you made it onto the soccer team."

I scowled at him, and he laughed. "I missed that face of yours," he chuckled.

* * *

Life felt brighter with Gabe back. I felt like I'd truly returned home now. But that brightness dimmed considerably when the strangest thing happened two evenings later: Theo came around for dinner. He never came around for dinner. I mean, sure, he came over whenever we had socials at our house, but he never came _alone_.

Yet here he was, on my doorstep, telling me that he'd been invited over. I stared at him in disbelief.

Irritated, he said cuttingly, "Are you going to let me in?"

"Shauna! Has Theo come?" Mom called.

I slowly moved aside to let him in. He passed me, muttering under his breath.

I followed him to the dining table and watched warily as he greeted my whole family with familiarity. They sat around the table and Mom started serving food.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Gabe asked me.

I did. Only a few minutes later, another person arrived at the door: Quil.

 _What is going on?_ I watched my family members and Theo and Quil for any strange behavior, anything to explain Theo's sudden appearance, but everything seemed casual enough.

After dinner, Grandpa and Dad asked Gabriel, Theo, and Quil to join them in the living room. I shot a look at Mom, but she didn't look my way. Finally, when I helped to clear the dishes, I muttered, "Since when did we house an all-boys' club?"

Mom smiled at my quip and gave me a squeeze around my shoulders. Then, she asked me, "I'm going to visit Paul and Rachel. Rebecca might be back. Would you like to come?" Rebecca Lahote was Paul and Rachel's twenty-three year old daughter, named after my aunt Rebecca, who lived in Hawaii.

"No, thanks," I responded. I'd never really gotten along with Rebecca. It's not that I disliked her, or anything like that. We were just different people. To me, she came off a bit standoffish. She was very introverted, and she seemed to prioritize work over everything else. She rarely came home to the reservation, unless she felt like she had to. Some part of me respected her drive, but another part of me found it a little overbearing. To her, I probably seemed like any other teenager: tolerable, but annoying.

I walked my mom out the door, and then I sat on the steps. I left the front door slightly ajar. Closing my eyes, I could just make out Grandpa's voice. Even though I couldn't hear what my grandfather was saying exactly, I could hear the steady rise and fall of his voice. I closed my eyes and rested my head on my arms... Before I knew it, I had drifted into a light slumber.

* * *

"Hey. You asleep?"

I lifted my head and looked up blearily to see Theo standing above me. "I was," I replied, my voice slightly husky.

I cleared my throat as I rose from the steps. I looked over my shoulder when I heard Dad and Gabe laughing loudly inside.

"I'm going," Theo said. "Tell your mother I said thank you for dinner."

"Sure."

He nodded once and stepped off our porch. Quil came out just then and clapped me on the shoulder before heading out with Theo. "Theo, wait up!" he called, jogging to catch up to him. I watched them walk away together, wondering how someone as stolid as Theo was friends as someone as easy-going as Quil. Finally, I turned away.

* * *

I entered our house to see Dad and Gabe in cheerful conversation, each holding a beer.

"Where's Grandpa?" I asked.

"He's in his room," Dad answered.

I made my way down the hallway and gently knocked on my grandfather's door.

"Grandpa?" I called out softly.

"Willow? Is that you?"

"Yes."

"Come in."

I opened the door. Grandpa was lying in bed, blinking his eyes open. He must have been napping before I woke him up.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized.

"No, come in," Grandpa said invitingly. "Come sit beside me."

I walked around the bed and sat in the chair next to his bed. I dropped a block of wood and sheathed carving knife into his lap before pulling out my own. This was what Grandpa and I always did together- carve.

I started to carve into my block of wood when Grandpa said knowingly, "You want to ask me something."

"Why was Theo Uley here?" I inquired. "Since when did he come over for dinner?"

"Since tonight," Grandpa answered calmly.

"What's the reason?" I asked abruptly. I'd never been one for sidestepping in a conversation.

Grandpa unsheathed the knife and picked up the block of wood. He put the knife to the block, but his hands shivered. It was very slight, but it was definitely visible. And it continued.

"Grandpa?" I said anxiously.

"They must learn the tales and traditions of our tribe," Grandpa said, setting down the block of wood and knife. "They must learn them, not only for themselves, but to speak it to others with power and dignity. Learning for yourself and learning to pass that knowledge on- there is a great difference between those acts. The three of them must take that further step of learning for the sake of others."

"Gabe, Quil, Theo… Ephraim Black, Quil Ateara, and Levi Uley," I realized.

Grandpa nodded. "Yes, the leaders of our tribe…"

"Though, of course, I cannot expect them all to stay," Grandpa added, his voice growing morose.

"What do you mean?"

"I think Gabe wants to live in the wider world, the world beyond our small community," Grandpa told me. "But this is a discussion you must have with him yourself."

I nodded slowly. "I know. Gabe always talks about how he wants to be a musician. He says it's a way of remembering the culture and teaching it to people without words... Gabe told me that he never feels more connected to our way of life than when he plays music. But, practically speaking, it would mean that he's on the road a lot and not here, on the reservation."

"Yes, and Quil is too young in heart to be sure of his future," Grandpa told me.

"Theo is much like Sam," Grandpa pondered slowly. "But we will see…"

"Just out of curiosity," I said, "am I not included because I'm a girl?"

Grandpa looked at me with an expression that was difficult to discern. Finally, he said, "Willow, do you know what a Spirit Warrior is?"

"Of course," I replied immediately. "They've protected our tribe all these years. You can't be a Quileute and not know about the Spirit Warriors."

"Yes, Spirit Warriors have protected and led this tribe for generations," Grandpa affirmed, nodding. "Historically - or at least, in the way our legends have been recorded, Spirit Warriors have always been men, because of the role they were given to play as hunters and protectors, and not because women were lesser. You understand what I'm saying, Willow? Women are heroes in our legends just as often as men, but women were never Spirit Warriors. At least, not in the old legends."

"I did notice that," I told Grandpa. "It made me sad when I was younger. But when I asked Mom about it, she said that I should never wish to become a Spirit Warrior. She said that it would affected women differently than men, that women would have to sacrifice more to be a Spirit Warrior."

Grandpa sighed. "Yes. Your mother would say so."

"I never knew what she meant by that," I confessed. "And none of our legends addressed that question."

Grandpa nodded. "It's a story for another time, I think. Perhaps when you're older, you should ask your mother again."

Then, Grandpa tried to pick up the wood block again, but his hand trembled and the block slipped from his fingers and rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

Deliberately trying not to look at my grandfather, I bent down and picked the block off the floor. He said nothing as he held his hand out to receive it.

* * *

Leah Black's POV

When I returned late from Rachel and Paul's house, I found Shauna sitting in the living room. When I came in, she stood up. Clearly, she had been waiting for me.

"Shauna, what is it?" I asked.

She looked at me with a furrowed brow and a hard, clear gaze. "Is Grandpa dying?"

* * *

Shauna Black's POV

Brenton Cameron, Jared and Kim's son, was back. He'd run into my house today, flashing me a grin as my mother yelled at him to take off his shoes. He sprinted into Gabe's room. A minute later, they both rushed out of the house, laughing. They'd been friends since they were born. Brenton was a year older than Gabe, but that never stopped them from getting on well.

I tied back my hair before pulling on my running shoes and firmly tying the laces.

"I'm going for a run," I told my mom.

"Don't go too far out," she said. "Remember, we're all going down to the beach tonight."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in time," I replied.

Exiting the house, I took off jogging down the path besides the beach.

I saw Gabe, Brenton, Theo, and some other boys who lived on the reservation further down the beach playing soccer on the flatter part of the sand. Gabe waved at me, giving Theo an opportunity to score. Frustrated, Brenton tackled Gabe onto the ground. I heard Brenton yell, "Would you get your head out of your ass!?"

Shaking my head, I turned off the path and into the woods, following the hiking trail for a while. I loved the forest - the richness of the trees' foliage, the damp air scented with moss and redwood and a tinge of salt from the nearby beach, and the soft chirping and rustling sounds of unseen animals darting around here and there, living a life parallel to mine without either of us being aware of it...

I felt my legs respond to the joy in my heart and pick up the pace. Soon, I was sprinting. I pushed myself for as long as I could. But when my chest and legs were burning, I finally had to slow down.

Breathing hard, I slowly came to a stop and put my hands on my knees. I checked my watch. It was six in the evening already. I knew I should head back. I paused, feeling a little regretful. I wanted to go further into the forest. But I knew today was not the day to push my mother's patience, so I obediently turned around and took a light jog back home.

I showered and changed into some loose, baggy jeans with rips and rolled-up cuffs and a simple white t-shirt. Then, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and I made our way down to the beach. Gabe and Brenton were already there.

* * *

The beach was overrun with people from all over the reservation. Gabe was, of course, already there with Brenton. But I also recognized the Atearas, Uleys, Swans, Lahotes, Camerons, Calls, Fullers, and Littleseas.

"Billie!" I turned to see Liam calling to me. He and Quil had joined the game of pick-up soccer I'd seen earlier. Gabe and Brenton were sitting out for the game, talking to some of the other boys and girls from the reservation. I recognized Rebecca amongst them.

"Want to join?" Liam asked me.

"Liam! Get it, you fool!" Quil shouted as another familiar figure blew past Liam. It was Marc Lahote, Paul and Rachel's seventeen-year-old son, and Rebecca's little brother.

"Wait! No fair, I'm trying to recruit another player!" Liam called out.

"Then, hurry it up! Game's not going to stop!" Quil shouted back, as he went after Marc.

"Sure, I'll play," I answered quickly.

"Okay, join my team!" Liam said. "We're one short at the moment."

I took a forward position on the field and waited for the ball to trickle down to us forwards. Finally, Quil managed to wrest the ball away from Marc and bunted it forward.

"Here!" I shouted from left forward, but Quil had passed to center forward, Liam, instead. It was too obvious a move, though, and Liam only managed to touch the ball for a brief second before Theo managed to kick it out from under him. I raced forward to save it. Theo ran at it at the same time. I managed to trick Theo with a side sweep, but then Andrew, who was good friends with my brother and a defender on the opposing team, was in my way. He played dirty, too, grabbing the back of my shirt. Laughing and cursing at the same time, I managed to kick it between his legs. Then, I dashed past him and dribbled it forward. I looked for Liam, but he was blocked by Theo so I went for the kill. I put all my strength behind my kick. The ball went flying- only to be stopped by Nico, the goalkeeper. He blocked it with his body and a loud _thump!_ resounded as the ball ricocheted off him.

"Oh, ouch," I heard Liam say, even though he was on my team. From the side of the field, I saw my brother and Brenton guffaw in delight as Nico rubbed his arms and winced.

"Sorry!" I called. But the ball was back in play. I went for three more goals. Nico blocked one and missed one before he finally said, "Not again!" and purposefully stepped aside to let my second goal in.

"What the hell are you doing?" Theo shouted as my team mates whistled and clapped for me.

"It hurts!" Nico complained.

"You let her score!"

"You do it then!"

"Fine." Theo jogged over and they switched places.

Quil got the next kick, and then it was me again.

First, give Nico the side step- easy. Now, turn and take the ball with you to distract Andrew, the second defender- still easy. Finally, turn and shoot-! I kicked hard.

 _Thwump._ Theo had caught the ball with both hands. He held it up as he kicked it back to midfield.

My eyes narrowed. He was serious about this game. _Fine, then so am I._

I stopped playing around and played for real. I focused hard on controlling the ball and then, when I went for the goal, I angled my foot to curve the ball's path to catch Theo off guard.

I managed to get three goals past Theo, much to his frustration, but he kept his calm and managed to block several more. I knew the ball had caught him right in the ribs with one particularly blistering goal attempt, but he didn't say anything as he picked it up and threw it back into play. He didn't even look at me.

We were really started to get heated when Gabe shouted, "All right, the Elders want us to come in now!"

Sweating and breathing hard, my hoodie long since discarded, I turned away from Theo without a second glance.

"Damn, I didn't know you could play like that," Liam said, jogging up to my side. "Gabe said you were on the soccer team, but I didn't know you were serious about it."

"Gabe told you that?"

"Yeah, you know how he likes to brag about you," Liam told me, smiling.

I sighed. "I thought he'd stop doing that once we got older, but I guess he never grew out of it."

"No, it's nice," Liam countered. "I've always wanted Quil - er, I mean, I've always wanted a sibling, the way Quil has Nadine, and you have Gabe."

Just then, Nico was passing us by with a few of his friends.

"Sorry," I called out to him.

He shook his head. "No worries. But you know you've got a mean kick, Billie."

Quil caught up with us just then, with Nadine on his shoulders. She was laughing happily as she tugged lightly at his hair, causing Quil to reach up and swat at her hands. She stealthily moved them away, and Quil slapped his own head. Laughing and teasing Quil, we all made our way together to the bonfire.


	6. Spirit Revival

Shauna Black's POV

The Elders sat around the fire: Sam Uley, Sue Swan (my grandmother on my mother's side), Quil Ateara V, Billy Black (my grandfather on my father's side), and both of my parents. They were about to hold a council meeting and wanted the youngsters to observe.

Charlie Swan (my grandfather-in-law), in his late eighties, was not technically an Elder, but he sat between his wife, Sue, and his best friend, Billy Black. I liked Charlie a lot. He'd been a police officer in Forks ever since I could remember. Once, when I was in middle school, a sixth grader, he'd caught me attempting to trespass an old, supposedly-haunted church at night. I'd been dared to do it, and I prided myself on never backing down on a dare.

As Charlie had stared up at me, trying to pry over the roof window of the church building, he'd sighed and said, "Shauna, come on, kid. This is a dumb idea. Get down from there."

"No, I've got to get in here," I said, still working furiously at the roof window.

"You want me to call your Dad?"

I paused.

"That's right. Now, get down from there _carefully_." Charlie watched me with careful eyes, ready to leap forward and catch me should I fall.

When I made it to the ground, he let out a sigh of relief. "Come on," he said. I sat in his police car with him.

"Now, what's this foolishness all about? Hm?" he asked me.

"I needed to finish a dare," I told him stiffly.

"And why's that? Why would you feel the need to complete this hare-brained stunt?"

"Because I've never lost a dare, and I'm not going to," I replied stoutly.

He sighed. "What was the dare, exactly?"

"Trespass on the church grounds and get out alive," I told him.

"Get out alive?" he repeated, frowning.

"It's supposed to be haunted."

"All right," he said, clearly done with entertaining sixth-grader logic. "I'll cut you a deal, little criminal. You technically did trespass on the church."

"I did?"

"Yes, trespass is based on property, and that includes the surrounding area and exterior of the church. When you got inside the fencing, which I don't know want to know how you did, you trespassed."

I beamed at him.

"Yeah, I thought that would make you happy," Charlie said, shaking his head. "So, you can go tell all your friends you succeeded and I won't tell your parents _if_ \- and this is the important part - _if_ you never trespass on private property _again_. You hear me? I don't care if God himself comes down and asks you to trespass the church - you will not do this again. All right?"

I nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now, strap on your seat belt, I'm taking you home."

As he started the engine, I thought of something. "But if I disobey God himself and end up in hell - not that I believe in it, but my friends do- that's on you, then. Right?"

Charlie groaned. "Yes, all right, you can tell God it was my fault."

My face split into an eager grin. _The night had gone pretty well_ , I'd thought to myself, _since I could tell the others I did the dare and I got myself a free get-out-of-hell card, should that problematic situation ever arise._

As both my Grandma and Charlie waved at me from across the bonfire, I smiled and waved back. I sat between Liam and Gabe and listened as my grandfather began the meeting. As he raised his hands and everyone stopped talking, I remembered what my mother had told me last night: _"Grandpa… doesn't have a lot of time left."_

I closed my eyes, taking in the tangy, salty scent of the fresh ocean breeze, all tangled up with the deep, smoky smell from the wood fire.

My grandfather's rumbling voice began and I tried to listen- not just to hear, for myself- but to really _listen_ , as though I would be responsible for passing on the spirit of the stories. I knew that it would never be my place to pass these stories on. It would be Gabe's responsibility, along with Theo's and Quil's. But after my conversation with Grandpa, I realized that Grandpa told these stories with such emotion because he wanted them to be understood in a way that connected us all together, enlightened us by awakening the spirit that slumbered in each and every Quileute soul. As I listened with this mindset, it almost felt like I was hearing the stories for the first time.

* * *

Afterwards, Gabe and Brenton played music on their guitars, with Andrew playing a wooden drum and Quil's father slowly humming a traditional song. Food was passed around to everybody.

Kitt, Hannah, and Maya, who were all girls from further down the reservation and whom I'd gone to school with, came over to join me, Liam, Quil, and Nadine. We all sat together, talking, eating, and listening to the music. At some point, Lucy came over to sit on my lap.

Kitt went and fetched us a plate of watermelon. We all dug in except Hannah, who excused herself. She got up and walked over to another group of people. I recognized Nico, Rebecca, Marc, and Theo among them. Hannah dropped down next to Theo and started to talk to him.

"Hannah's got a thing for Theo," Kitt said, winking slyly to get her point across.

"Really?" Quil said, raising an eyebrow. I looked over and watched Hannah talk to Theo. She was absent-mindedly twirling her long black hair in her fingers. Her hair was perfectly straight in a way I could never seem to tame mine.

"She says he's grown a lot this year," Maya remarked. She shrugged as she conceded, "I reckon she's right."

My eyes fell on Theo and I had to admit, he had grown a lot. He seemed taller and stronger. He also carried himself differently. _But then, what did I know about Theo before? Not much._

With a vague shrug, I turned my head away.

* * *

I slept in the next morning, only waking up when my mother told me that if I missed lunch, I'd have to wait until dinner to eat. I ate groggily, and then I decided to take a run to clear my mind.

The run started off slow, but as always, running functioned as a reset button for me. Once I'd worked through the initial haze, my body felt lighter and my head felt clearer. After a long warm-up, I built up to a sprint, and then ran all-out to the end of the hiking trail, and beyond.

 _Go, go, go,_ I pushed myself. I wanted to know what it felt like to be able to run as fast as thought. I knew I was fast, but I always wanted to be faster. I felt like my body could not fulfill my true potential for speed. It was a vain thought and I never lingered on it too long, but I felt frustrated when my body demanded I slow down and take a break from sprinting. I sighed as I slowed down and tried to get my breathing back under control. I continued walking, knowing I would feel worse if I suddenly stopped altogether.

Catching my breath, I looked around me. I was deep in the forest. I had long gone off the trail and ran towards the woods. I had a compass in my pocket and I knew if I just kept running North, I would hit a solitary road soon enough. That would lead me into town and then I could circle back around to La Push.

But even though I was headed North, I remained in the forest for a long time. I hadn't realized how large this section of the forest was. I started to grow nervous, wondering if I should just head back instead of continuing to head North. Just as I started to turn around, a most curious sight caught my eyes.

I abruptly stopped in my tracks. _What is this?_

It was a three-story building, rising out of the trees. It had huge glass windows, as if the person who lived inside was determined to feel free. It looked as though nobody had taken care of it for a while, but it wasn't deteriorating in any obvious way. There was no car in the driveway. However, through the enormous windows, I could just make out furnishings inside the house.

I realized that this house must be on the dead end of the main road I'd been trying to reach. I hadn't known that there was a house so far out here, nor could I recall anyone ever talking about a family that didn't live in town or on the reservation.

_I wonder if this is someone's vacation house, though I can't imagine who would have a vacation house in Forks..._

Suddenly, I smelled a sickly sweet scent. It was overpowering and frankly, disgusting. I shook my head a little to clear my mind, but it wasn't going away. I clenched my teeth and found myself suddenly trembling. _Why am I trembling?_ _This is weird. This is unnatural._ _Something's not right here._

I forced myself to calm down. _All right, keep your nerve. Just s_ _tay calm, and get the hell out of here._ I slowly backed away from the house. Then, I turned and sprinted into the forest as fast as I could.

I ran for a long time before I realized I wasn't paying attention to direction. I cursed as I had to stop and get my compass out. By the time I found my way back down to La Push, it was evening.

* * *

I burst into my house, sweating all over.

"Shauna! We were worried," my mother scolded me, rising from the dinner table. Sitting with her were Gabe, Quil, and Theo.

I tried to hide the panic I'd just experienced.

"Shauna?" my brother said, looking a bit worried.

"Sorry, I just, uh- went for a sprint at the end," I managed to say. I quickly headed for the shower.

By the time I'd changed and returned to the dining table, the men had gathered in the living room for another meeting.

I quietly stepped around them and headed to the kitchen, where Mom was putting everything away.

"I saved some food for you," she said, pointing at the plate on the kitchen counter.

"Thanks," I replied. Grabbing a fork out of the kitchen cabinet, I dug in.

"Why's it so cold in here?" I said, shivering slightly.

"Your hair is still soaking wet," Mom pointed out.

As I ate, I could hear Grandpa speaking from the living room. I couldn't make out exactly what he was talking about, but I heard the words "Spirit Warriors." It reminded me of what he'd told me a few days ago: _"Women are heroes in our legends just as often as men, but women were never Spirit Warriors. At least, not in the old legends... Perhaps when you're older, you should ask your mother again."_

 _Well, I'm not much older, but I still want to ask,_ I thought. I looked up at Mom, who had finished washing the dishes.

"Mom, I was wondering..." I said. "Are Spirit Warriors always male?"

My mother, who had been reaching up to put away a plate, paused. She turned back to me. "Why are you asking me that, Shauna?" Her voice was so serious that I was taken aback.

"I was just curious," I said lamely. I shrugged, a bit confused by my mother's reaction. "I mean, the answer's not really important, right? It's just an old legend…"

My mother looked down at her hands as she replied quietly, "Yes, it's just an old legend." She didn't say anything more, and I let the matter drop.

* * *

When I slipped into bed that night, I felt cold. I drew the covers up over myself, but I was still shivering. I hardly slept all night. Only when the dawn began to peek up over the horizon did I manage to fall asleep. When I overslept for breakfast, Mom came in. She put a hand to my forehead.

"You're running a fever," she told me. She looked at me worriedly.

"I'll be fine," I croaked. "I think I just overexerted myself running yesterday."

For whatever reason, my mother studied my face for a long second before she kissed me and said, "Try to get some sleep. I'll bring an extra blanket and make some porridge for you."

"Thanks, Mom." I shut my eyes again, trying to get some more sleep to fend off this sudden sickness.

* * *

Only a short while later, I woke up to a distracting, but familiar sound: Mom and Dad were arguing. They argued a lot when we were younger, but it seemed to have smoothed out over the years. _Why are they arguing again?_

I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. My mind felt fuzzy with the fever. I was getting worse, not better. But I managed to get up and brush my teeth and splash some cool water on my face. Then, I pulled on a sweater and walked out into the hallway where Grandpa, Gabe, and I had our bedrooms. I knocked on my brother's door.

"Yeah?"

I opened the door and walked in. Gabe was sitting on his bed, scrawling on some sheet music. When he saw me, he said, "Shit, you look like hell. Are you sick?"

"Fever. It'll probably pass in a day or so," I said, shrugging a little. "Why are Mom and Dad arguing?"

Gabe sighed. "I don't know. Probably over some unimportant detail. You know how they get."

I did. Our parents used to argue over everything. They were both proud people, who knew what they wanted and went after it, and didn't feel the need to seek approval for their actions or the reasons behind them.

"Want to go out to the garage?" Gabe asked me.

"Sure, but keep your distance," I warned. "I don't want you catching whatever I've got."

We walked out to the garage together. Gabe pulled out an old motorcycle he'd been working on. We'd found it in someone's dumpster a year ago and Gabe had made a habit out of working on it over breaks. He was nearly done. The motorcycle had been meticulously shined and buffed and it even had leather seating now.

"Actually, I think I know what they're arguing about," Gabe told me as he pulled out his tools. "I just didn't want to say it in the house, in case they overheard us."

I opened the door of our car and sat in the seat sideways, facing Gabe. "What?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

"Well, Brenton, Andrew, and I got asked to play at this festival. We decided to accept it together. We're actually leaving tomorrow. Sorry for short notice," my brother said, looking a bit sheepish.

"No, that's great," I said, trying to be encouraging. "You're going to perform at a festival. That's really cool. I know you love playing music."

"But we want to make it more than a one-stop thing," Gabe continued.

"Which means…?" I prompted.

"You know, going on the road," Gabe answered. "We want to get a car we can sleep in and pack a few basics and go. Live on the road for a while and play in bars or at festivals and have our own shows and maybe even get signed. That'd be a hell of a summer before I go back to school."

Gabe was trying to hide how excited he about this, but I could hear it in his voice.

"But you know, Mom, Dad, and Grandpa... They want me to stay," Gabe said, and it was like he was brought back down to reality. "To lead the tribe. Whatever that means."

The sounds of Gabe tinkering with the motorcycle filled the space between us for a brief while. I broke the silence by asking, "Gabe, are you going to leave La Push?

"Of course, I'm going back to finish up college," Gabe replied, keeping his eyes on the motorcycle. "And so are you, dummy."

"I meant after that," I clarified, even though I knew he understood what I had meant the first time. "You're not coming back, are you?"

Gabe looked conflicted. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his hands on the motorcycle. He chose his words carefully. "We mean a lot to this community." He paused. "That sounds arrogant-"

"No, it doesn't," I cut him off. "We've grown up our whole lives seeing people interact with Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma. They're leaders in this community. People look up to them. And I know that people expect something of us- of you and me. I see it in their eyes."

Gabe nodded slowly. "Exactly. Seeing the respect that people have for us… It motivates me, but it also limits me. In their eyes, I have a set future. The thing is, I don't want to be someplace that's already defined who I am and all I can be. Being an Elder here would be a great honor. But it's not me. It's not right for me."

He shook his head and said, "I'm being incredibly selfish."

"It's not selfish," I countered. "It's right. You'll never be the chief they want if you're miserable about it. You can't lie in this community, Gabe. That's why this place is different. This place is home. We all see through each other like glass. That's why an Elder always has to be genuine. People can tell our tradition still means something when an Elder speaks about it with feeling. Either the stories come from inside us or not at all because otherwise, they're not true anymore."

I shut up when I realized I was talking nonsense. I had no idea where these words were coming from. I noticed that I was sweating again and I wiped my forehead with my sleeve.

Gabe was looking at me with raised eyebrows.

"What?" I asked him.

He opened his mouth to answer me, but suddenly, loud shouts erupted from the house.

"They're not still fighting?" Gabe said, half-worried and half-annoyed.

Just then, I could hear my mother yelling, "Gabe? Shauna?"

I heard an ambulance's siren, still a ways away, but thundering towards us.

I hesitated. "Gabe…"

We both looked at each other, feeling the dread creep into our hearts. All at once, we dashed out of the garage together.

"Mom!" Gabe shouted.

"Gabe! Shauna!" Mom ran towards us. Her cheeks were wet.

 _No. Mom never cries. Something's happened. Oh no, oh no._ I grasped her arm. "Mom, what's-?"

"Grandpa's gone into a coma," Mom told us in an heart-broken voice. "He won't respond to anything."

My grip on her sleeve tightened.

"They're taking him to the hospital?" Gabe asked.

Mom nodded. "The ambulance is coming now."

* * *

We spent the night at the hospital. None of us slept. When morning came, other families arrived, but they respectfully waited outside. Mom and Gabe left the room to greet them, but Dad and I refused to leave Grandpa's side.

The hours passed and eventually, I fell asleep, my head dizzy with the fever consuming me.

Then, through blurry dreams consisting of running through a dark forest, I felt the hand I was holding twitch.

I looked up, blinking blearily. "Grandpa?" I whispered.

My father was in the chair in the corner. He had also fallen asleep.

At that moment, Grandpa's eyes opened.

I gasped and made to wake up my father and alert the others, but my grandfather held my hand tight and shook his head.

"Don't wake the others," he whispered. His voice was gruff and hoarse. "Not yet."

"But Grandpa," I said, feeling relief flood my system, "you're awake."

"Your forehead… Your hand…" Grandpa said. He looked at me with a hard gaze.

"Grandpa?" I whispered, feeling some of the relief drain away. _Is he fully conscious? Does he know where he is?_

"Grandpa, you're at a hospital," I told him quietly. "You need medical attention. Let me-"

"It's you…" Grandpa murmured, his eyes shutting again. "You are the Spirit Warrior."

"Grandpa?"

Dad stirred in his chair.

Grandpa opened his eyes again, though it seemed to take him tremendous effort to do so. "Willow," he murmured, and he reached for my face. His hand grazed my cheek. "Willow... Remember your spirit... "

"Grandpa!" I shouted, clutching his hand.

Everybody reacted to my sudden exclamation. Dad jumped up and Mom and Gabe burst in, followed by Mr. Ateara, Mr. Uley, and Mrs. Clearwater.

"Dad!" my father cried, leaping to his other side. He took my grandfather's other hand. "Dad, look at me. Please."

Grandpa slowly moved his head towards my father's direction. His breathing was labored, and it took him immense effort to speak. "Son," Grandpa whispered, "I leave it to you now."

"Dad," my father whispered, heart-broken. My mother put a hand on my father's shoulder. With her other hand, she reached for Gabe, and he hugged her, his eyes filled with tears.

Mr. Ateara, Mr. Uley, and Grandma Sue respectfully gathered at the foot of the bed. Grandpa looked down at them all. He smiled and murmured gently, "I can feel it. A wind from another world…"

"It is all right now," he whispered, and then he closed his eyes.

The doctors rushed in. Uncle Seth had run to alert them. I was escorted out of the room.

* * *

I sat in the hallway. My mind was numb. My fever must be sky-high, because I felt worse than ever. My heartbeat was racing, and I felt a horrible tension building up inside of my chest.

"Hey, you okay?"

I stared in front of me, distraught. Salt water - whether sweat or tears, I couldn't tell - dripped down my face.

"Hey! Billie!"

My name snapped me out of my trance. But I simply moved into another one. I got up and started to walk down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Theo shouted after me.

I ignored him. Once I was out of the hospital, I started running.

"Billie, wait!" I heard Theo yell.

He tried to chase me, but I was the faster runner. I always had been.

I ran all the way down to La Push. By then, my heart was pounding so hard, I wouldn't be surprised if it took flight and lifted right out of my chest.

I burst through the tree line and entered the forest. My fever was so high that my vision was turning red. I gritted my teeth. I could feel myself trembling, then shaking-

A roar ripped through the night air as I felt my body erupt, unable to take the heat anymore. I dropped onto all fours as an intense shiver ran through my body.

_Wait- all fours?_

I meant to gasp, but a low growl ripped through my teeth as I realized that I was in the body of a… wolf.

 _I must be insane. This isn't… I don't...!_ I tried to scream, but a long howl ripped from my lungs.

 _My lungs._ I could feel them- how strong they were. _My legs, too- no, my whole body..._

I sprung forward and took off running. Finally, my body could keep up with my potential.

I raced faster than the wind, faster than I could have dared imagine possible. The way my paws pushed off of the ground, the way my muscles worked so effortlessly to allow me to leap forward... It was like I was made to run. And it wasn't just the speed and power. I could see better, hear better, smell better…

_This is crazy. I must be dreaming. This cannot be real._

My heart was still pounding, not just from the running, but also from the adrenaline and anxiety as I tried and failed to understand what had happened to me.

Then, I remembered my grandfather's last words: _You are a Spirit Warrior._

_Why did he say that? What did he mean?_

_Grandfather,_ I called out desperately in my thoughts. _Grandfather, help me!_

_Willow... Remember your spirit._

_Grandfather?_ I stopped running and whined. I panicked yet again when I heard myself whine. _That wolf-like noise... Could it really be me? What's happening to me?_

_Willow. Calm your mind. Control yourself._

I tried to follow my grandfather's voice through all this madness.

In a voice as light as the wind, I heard him whisper: You _already know. Clear your mind, my child, and you will remember your spirit..._

I closed my eyes and stilled myself, except for my swishing tail.

And I heard my grandfather's voice, steady and warm and rhythmic: " _The Quileutes have been a small tribe from the beginning. But we've always had magic in our blood. We were great Spirit Warriors… shape shifters that transform into the powerful wolf. This enabled us to scare off our enemies, and protect our tribe."_

My eyes snapped open, taking in the forest landscape with far more detail than any human eyes could, day or night. I could feel my powerful wolf body drawing in a long breath as I realized what I was: _Shapeshifter._

* * *

By the time I had calmed down enough to transform back, dawn had broken out over the horizon. I couldn't find any of my clothes except for my sweater, which had been around my waist when I transformed. "Great," I groaned. "Fantastic."

I pulled on my sweater. Luckily, it was large enough that it went down to my thighs. I felt dizzy. I didn't have a fever anymore. But I hadn't slept for nearly three days. _Maybe I just hallucinated everything... Maybe I imagined it because I can't accept the fact that Grandpa's gone..._ Mentally and physically exhausted and emotionally drained, I curled up on the forest floor and fell asleep.

* * *

I woke abruptly to my name being shouted. A moment later, strong arms picked me up.

I tried to say, "I'm fine", but my voice caught in my throat and I coughed instead.

"I got you," the person murmured, holding me tightly against his chest. "I got you."

I coughed again to clear my airways. Then, I managed to mutter, "I'm fine."

"What?"

"I said I'm fine!" I said, annoyed at how helplessly I was being treated. _I could stand on my own two feet, thank you very much!_ Irritated, I leapt off of whoever was carrying me without warning.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, I'm just trying to help you." Theo stood in front of me, looking at me with no less annoyance than I was feeling towards him.

Realizing it was Theo suddenly made me feel both vulnerable and defensive. I awkwardly clutched at my sweater, pulling it down further.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Are you…?"

I stared at him, challenging him. "What?" I said.

A subtle red wash spread across his cheeks. He quickly looked away. "Nothing," he muttered. "Let's get you back to your parents."

I was silent as I let him walk in front of me. He didn't look back once as he led the way out of the forest. When we were near the fringe of the trees, Theo called my mother on his cellphone.

Mom was waiting at the edge of the forest. "Where have you been!?" she shouted at me. "You just took off on us!"

"Mom, I'm sorry," I said. "I've just-"

Her eyes flickered down to my bare legs. She stiffened. In a strained voice, she whispered, "Did you-?"

"I wasn't assaulted or anything like that," I tried to reassure her, but she grabbed my shoulders.

"Shauna, are you-?" She whispered so low that Theo had no chance of hearing her, even though he was standing right besides us. "Did you _transform_?"

My mouth dropped open. _She_ _knew?_ I didn't say anything. I just stared at her. I wasn't going to give her any answers until she gave me some.

When it became clear that I wasn't going to respond, Mom sighed and let me go. She stepped past me and addressed Theo, who was tactfully looking the other way. "Thank you, Theo. I appreciate all of your help."

"Not at all, Mrs. Black," he said.

"Did you thank Theo?" Mom said to me.

"No," I answered, bluntly.

"Should have just left her lost in the forest," he muttered under his breath, but I heard him. I glared at him.

"Can you take her back home? I have to return to the hospital," Mom said, and a fresh wave of pain washed over her eyes as she handed Theo the keys.

I felt a strong storm of guilt and grief crash into me at once. The sudden fracturing of reality had distracted me, momentarily, from the fact that Grandpa was gone. _Yes, Grandpa's gone, but... I thought I heard his voice when I... whatever happened to me. Transformed, I guess. Grandpa led me through it all. He helped me make sense of it. I calmed down enough to become human again because he was there for me, waiting in the spiritual realm._

My mother took off her jacket and handed it to me. "Here." She turned to Theo and said sternly, "Don't you dare try to look."

Theo held his hands up in surrender and said, "With all due respect, ma'am, I'm not interested in your daughter."

I snorted. _No surprise there._ Theo and I had never had any sort of affinity for one another.

"I know my way home from here," I said and walked ahead, leaving him behind.

"Hey, wait up," Theo called.

I ignored him.

"I have the keys," he reminded me.

With a sigh, I stopped and waited.

* * *

We both entered the house. I showered and changed. When I came back out, Theo was sitting on the couch. He seemed lost in thought. I had no reason to bother him so I headed to the kitchen to get water. However, realizing that I really hadn't thanked him for his efforts in finding me, I poured him a glass of water and cut up some fruit for him. I placed them in front of him.

Instead of saying thanks, he said, "So what happened? You tripped, ripped your pants, and hit your head?"

My dislike for him, as old as I could remember, sprang up again, newly revived.

"Something like that," I said, trying to stay civil.

We lapsed into silence. Awkwardly, I turned away and headed to my room.

I lay down on my bed. Flashbacks kept running through my head. _Did I really turn into a wolf? Or was that all something I dreamed up just to hear Grandpa's voice again?_ It had been so mentally disorienting. Even dreams, you experience as yourself. This was different. There was a self and I recognized it as "me," but it was deeply embedded in the layers of being a… wolf.

I closed my eyes and put my arm over my eyes. I didn't want to think anymore. The sadness of losing Grandpa filtered through me again, like sunlight vaguely infiltrating the deep layers of the ocean.

I fell into a restless sleep, but I jolted awake when I heard the front door open. I hurried out to the main room. Theo, who had also fallen asleep on the couch, had also just sat up.

"Dad," I breathed out. I ran to him.

He looked exhausted. His whole face weighed heavily with grief. I embraced him tightly. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"I know," he said heavily. "I know, Shauna." He returned my hug.

Theo awkwardly stood up.

"I'll be taking my leave," he said respectfully. "I'm sorry for everything, Mr. Black."

"Thank you, Theo," my father replied, looking up at him. "Tell Sam I'll be by as soon as I… get my head together."

Theo nodded. "Of course." Then, he left quietly.

"Rest, Dad," I murmured comfortingly. Dad nodded and put a hand on my shoulder briefly before he headed to his room.

Mom and Gabe came home shortly after.

I wondered if Mom was going to yell at me for the trouble I'd caused during an already difficult time, but she didn't. In face, our house was dead quiet for the next week. We all knew it had hit my dad the hardest, so we were silent for his sake. But there was another reason behind the silence as well: All of us were lost in our own thoughts. Gabe was torn between whether to stay or go. Mom was thinking deeply, too, though about what I couldn't tell. Although she checked up frequently on Dad, she was otherwise alone, thinking hard to herself. Sometimes, I'd find her sitting by herself on the living room couch late at night. She let me snuggle up to her side and stroked my hair while I fell asleep, but she wouldn't carry a conversation with me for too long. It almost felt like she was avoiding me.

Finally, Gabe postponed his leaving by one week so that he could attend Grandpa's funeral. Benjamin, my boyfriend, drove up from his hometown to be with me. I was very grateful that he took the time to do that for me. He put an arm around my shoulder and held me at his side as the prayers were chanted at Grandpa's funeral.

_Grandpa, I know that death is a natural part of life. But you were my compass. How can I live a life towards true north without you?_

The ocean wind blew gently inland, lifting the somber mood of the funeral. And in the wind, I thought I heard Grandpa's voice again. _Willow, whenever you need me, listen for the wind, and you'll find me there. After all, you are our Spirit Warrior._


	7. The Hound and the Pup

Annabelle's POV

I threw all of my focus into learning to resist the temptation of human blood. It was, as Dr. Cullen said, the prerequisite to living the life that I wanted to live. And, to be honest, it also functioned as a distraction from the sudden loneliness, since all I could think of when I smelled human blood was how delicious it would taste running down my throat. But it was terrifying to test my own strength without Dr. Cullen by my side. I nearly lost control the first few times without him. I found myself planning, in shamefully graphic detail, the ways in which I could infiltrate the village to ravage its inhabitants and drain them dry...

As the days went by, I figured out a tactic to help me retain control over my bloodlust. First, I hunted animals until I was completely full before I went anywhere near the village. Then, as the night went on and my thirst grew unbearable, I held my breath and sprinted back to the lake, diving straight into its chilly, refreshing waters. I found that when I submerged myself in water, I was able to purge the scent of human blood from my mind and nose much more quickly.

* * *

Tonight as well, I tested myself. Anxious beyond all belief, I dared to move past the grove of trees that Dr. Cullen and I had always stopped at. Holding my breath, I ventured to the edge of the village. One measly fence, which could have been made with toothpicks for all the protection it offered against my newborn strength, and beyond that, two hundred yards of dirt, which was almost nothing to a vampire's speed and senses - that was all that stood between me and the village.

Slowly, I released my breath. Then, straining all of my muscles to keep me locked in place, I gingerly breathed in.

 _Oh, God._ The mouthwatering scent infiltrated my body and consumed my mind... _You need it. You want it. Go after it._ I reached out and grasped the fence in front of me, trying to feel grounded. But as I tensed, my fingers broke through the wooden rails like it was sand. _No one will ever know, even if you ravage this entire village,_ a voice in my head promised me. _They're so far from the nearest town..._

 _No! It doesn't matter._ I slowly shook my head back and forth. _It's not about whether someone else knows or not. I can't do it. I can't hurt others merely for the sake of satiating my thirst._

 _Why deny yourself your nature?_ The voice of temptation slithered through my mind, working its way through the coils of tension in my willpower, and loosening my grasp on myself. _You're not a human anymore. You're a vampire. Is it truly so wrong to act like one?_

 _Don't,_ I whispered urgently to myself. _Don't forget who you are._

 _Besides,_ I continued my inner monologue in a desperate attempt to resist my temptations, _at least you're in a position where you have to hold back what you can do. Remember when you were a human and you couldn't walk forward or speak even when you wanted to? Now, you could destroy an entire village - you're exercising your choice not to. Where is the difficulty in resisting to someone who couldn't even lift a finger only a short while ago?_

 _That's right,_ I thought. _It's not having a choice that's difficult. This - choosing not to hurt others - isn't easy, but it's bearable compared to that helpless feeling I had to suffer through in my human life..._

These old memories of who I was humbled me and calmed me down.

But my muscles had barely relaxed when I sensed movement behind me. Reflexively picking up on the presence of a potential threat, I snarled and whipped around. I thought I caught a figure in my peripheral vision for a fleeting second, but when I stared at the open fields of rippling grass behind me, I saw nobody.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard a soft, amused chuckle. I whipped my head back around. This time, I definitely spotted a hooded figure leaping over the fence. I sniffed the air. The figure did not carry a human scent, but rather a... _a vampire scent._

 _It's another vampire,_ I realized. A low growl built in my throat. _Is this vampire about to attack the village?_ In a sudden burst of motion, I launched myself over the fence and tackled the vampire down.

The vampire was definitely weaker, but slid out of my grasp easily. "Infantile," I heard him murmur. In a movement so small and natural he could have done it in his sleep, the stranger managed to sweep my legs out from under me. As I fell, he reached out and grabbing my neck, forcefully slammed me down against the ground. I felt the earth crumble underneath me and cave in around me.

With a frantic and furious growl, I writhed in his grasp. He hissed, finding it difficult to match my newborn strength. As he grappled with me, the hood of his cloak fell off. I stiffened with sudden shock when I caught sight of the vampire's eyes. They were a bright blood red. Dr. Cullen's eyes had been golden. _Is this the difference a vampire who drinks human blood as opposed to vampire blood?_

So far, Dr. Cullen had been the only vampire I'd met. And this vampire was entirely different from him. Not just with his frighteningly red eyes, but in his entire appearance. He was scruffy-looking. I could never have imagined a scruffy-looking vampire before I'd met him, but here he was. He sported dirty blonde hair in unkempt, crude locks, and a somewhat scraggly beard. His long cloak and gloves were both made of heavy leather, and showed obvious signs of long wear. _He isn't a doctor vampire, that's for damn sure,_ I thought to myself.

"Wait here, young one," he drawled lazily. "This is my territory now."

He started to leap away towards the village. With a snarl, I reached up and grabbed his leg. Wrestling with him again, I managed to get onto my feet. I didn't know any fighting moves whatsoever, so I decided to return the favor he'd just given me: I slammed him down into the ground with my newborn strength. He cursed and groaned. As I tried to reach for him to pin him down, he quickly kicked me in the chest, sending me flying backwards.

In a flash, the vampire was back on his feet. Before I could even fully fall backwards, he'd grabbed the front of my shirt. With an irritated scowl, he warned me menacingly, "If you touch me again, I will kill you." He released me, and took off faster than a blink of an eye. I tried to follow him, but he'd already slipped into one of the houses. Abruptly, the utterly vibrant scent of fresh, spilled human blood filled the air.

I gasped and gripped at my throat hard enough to choke myself and force the air out of my throat. I stopped breathing. But even so, my throat burned painfully. I clawed at it, needing to either be free of the temptation altogether, or to break it. _You know what to do,_ my mind whispered to itself. _Give your pain a release. Go. There are plenty of humans in the village, you know..._

My feet dragged through the ground towards the village. _It will taste so sweet, like nothing you've tasted before. A far cry from the muddy waters you drink from pitiful animals..._

I slowly approached the village. I felt my lips shiver, as my desire to bite and feed instinctively made me bear my fangs. After such a long spell of resistance, the mere scent of blood was intoxicating to me. Hazily, I thought to myself: _I'm a vampire now. Yes, a vampire. Why shouldn't I follow my nature, after all? Why should I fight this? I'm so... I'm so thirsty. My throat hasn't stopped burning since I became a vampire, and the only form of release that could ever quench this desperate desire is right before me... Would this village really mourn the loss of only one or two of its population...? Surely... Surely not. After all, when I was a human, not a single person would have mourned my passing. In fact, I'm certain nobody cared when I "died". So, what's one human life? Nothing, if I'm anything to go by._

All at once, a happy laugh broke the air. The front door of the general store, which was the store posted at the very entrance of the village, opened, and a little girl came out. She was waving a wrapped loaf of bread over her head with great enthusiasm, laughing as she went. A split second later, a man, presumably her father, came running out after her. He called after her as he managed to catch the little whirlwind spirit in his arms. He scolded her, but I saw his stern expression melt as she beamed up at him happily with the piece of bread on top of her head.

An image of another little girl, standing in a hospital hallway, with her parents crying and holding her, arose in my mind. _That's right,_ I remembered. I _gave up my human life so that one more child would survive. It would betray that sacrifice to bite a human now - any human._

Capitalizing on that brief moment of sanity, I turned and fled as fast as I could. For the first time, I ran past the mountain and down into the valley. I was wary of coming across more humans, but I knew I had to get as far away from the village as possible, lest my vampiric instincts overcame my sudden sense of nostalgia and had me turning back.

I kept running until I came to the sea. Without hesitation, I dove in and swam to some far-off islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, I found a small cave in a rock cropping. The waves were brutal with the tide this far out, flooding my cave frequently, but it didn't matter to me. As a vampire, I was built to withstand any force of nature that was not fire-based. I curled up in the corner of the cave. With my elbows resting on my knees, I hid my face in my hands, trying to gather myself again.

* * *

A full day passed. I watched the sun brilliantly rise and fall over the endless ocean horizon. I finally felt as though I'd regained a little bit of myself again. The sharp, salty scent of the ocean waves crashing against the rocky island had washed away the most potent memories of the scent of human blood. I wondered if I should go back, but I decided to finalize my mental and physical reset by sleeping for a few hours. I thought I'd visit a silver castle in the sky, surrounded by glimmering gold butterflies in my dreams before I headed back to the cave up in the mountains.

I had just closed my eyes, when I heard a soft thud against the rock. I stood up, immediately defensive. _It can't be a human, can it? Who would come all the way out here at night? But if it is, I'll have to run._

I braced myself for an old fisherman to peek into the cave. But it wasn't. Instead, the rugged-looking vampire from earlier appeared before me.

Startled, I bared my fangs and hissed at him. _How did he find me so easily? I'm a newborn. I'm faster than any other vampire by a long shot, and I ran quite a ways away from the village._

"Don't start again," he muttered tiredly. "We know how it will end."

" _You_ ," I growled furiously. "You nearly broke me."

"Are you referring to when I slammed you into the ground, or when I fed on that villager?" he asked, not caring what my answer was. He leaned nonchalantly against the entrance of the cave.

"You have good self-control over blood, I'll give you that," he said offhandedly.

"But you're a terrible fighter," he critiqued. "No control over your body. And what's the point of power if you can't use it, hmm?"

"Who are you? How did you follow me?" I demanded. My voice was taut, featuring a sharp edge in it.

"Not by choice, I assure you," he replied, sighing. "I never like being in the company of others."

"But," he continued, and his eyes finally flickered up to me, "I'm being pulled towards you. Care to explain why, newborn?"

My brow furrowed. "Pulled towards me?" I repeated uneasily.

"Yes."

My expression clearly communicated that I was not comprehending him. He sighed again before reluctantly informing me, "I suppose I'm a tracker."

My still-furrowed brow prompted him to explain further.

"My tracking sense keeps tugging me towards you. If I try to go in any direction that's not towards you, it keeps yanking at my mind and distracting me. It's driving me mad," he said through gritted teeth, irritated.

"So, I figured I'd take care of it for my peace of mind," he explained. Stepping towards me, he mused to himself, "But now that I've found you, what am I supposed to do? Should I just kill you? Would that take care of this annoying pull?"

I shrank back, falling back on the defensive. If this strange vampire wanted to kill me, it wouldn't be much of a struggle. He was far more experienced then me, though admittedly, my experience constituted a very low threshold. However, I figured that if I focused all of my energy on escaping, I might be able to use my newborn strength and speed to my advantage, and evade him.

"What's special about you?" he muttered under his breath. Narrowing his eyes, he came closer to scrutinize me, though he seemed reluctant to do so.

Then, he paused. But only for a brief moment. In the next moment, he suddenly slammed me up against the cavern wall. I yelped and tried to duck under his arm, but he predicted my move and grabbing my shoulders, he slammed me back against the wall, effectively pinning me down.

"Pipe down, or I'll rip your head right off," he growled at me. "Besides, I'm only checking..."

I glared back at him as furiously as I could, but he remained completely unperturbed. When I growled at him, he was equally unfazed. He merely rolled his eyes and said in an exasperated tone, "Shut up, will you?"

He stared back at me for a moment, examining my eyes, though I didn't know why. Suddenly, I remembered what Dr. Cullen had said about different vampires having special abilities - some of them mental abilities. I wasn't sure if tracking was a special ability or a learned skill, and I also didn't know whether or not vampires could have multiple special abilities. I blinked and hurriedly looked away, but it was too late.

"Your eyes…" the vampire murmured. "Golden, like the sun." He abruptly let me go. I immediately put some distance between myself and him. He didn't care in the slightest, knowing he could subdue me in an instant, or if not subdue me, at least chase me.

But I didn't care. I was too desperate. I made to turn and run, when I heard him mutter, "Reminds me of Carlisle..."

 _Carlisle!_ I doubled back towards him immediately, blatantly invading his personal space.

"Whoa, whoa," he said, putting his hands up and backing up.

I stayed with him, pressing towards him. "You know him? You know Carlisle Cullen?" I asked insistently, almost eagerly.

"Well, a little," he replied, sounding bored as he slipped away from me.

"Who are you?" I questioned again, dropping all defensiveness from my stance and tone.

He studied me for a brief moment. Realizing that I wasn't going to give up until I'd gotten an answer, he replied dismissively, "Name's Alistair."

"Now," he said, reverting back to his own questions, "why would my instinct lead me to you, a mundane newborn?"

I shot back with my own question. "What's your relationship with Doctor- er- Carlisle Cullen?"

"Well, it's all thanks to him that I'm on the run for my life," he muttered, suddenly looking rather annoyed. "Quite an inconvenience, really."

"On the run for your life?" I repeated. "That's what brought you here?"

"Yes, I don't usually come to Europe if I can avoid it," he said wryly.

"But then, why did you make this detour to come and find me?" I asked, still not sure what was going on. "Shouldn't you keep running?"

"I told you. I was in the area when I was running away, and then my instinct had me chasing you," he said. Then, he sighed again, as though talking was quite wearisome for him.

"Perhaps," he continued, his voice dropping into a low and lazy drawl, "I found you because I was curious about Carlisle. You've had contact with him, no doubt. It seems he managed to convince you of his lifestyle choice as well."

"Yes…" I answered hesitantly, unwilling to give away too much information about either myself or Carlisle.

"Why are you being chased?" I asked him, suddenly wondering if I was in danger by being in his company.

"I don't know," he said tiredly. "They're a bunch of renegade vampires. They must have broken out of Volterra somehow. I'm not worried. The Volturi will catch them soon. I just have to outrun them long enough."

"Does it matter where you're running to, as long as you're outrunning them?" I inquired.

He shrugged. "Not particularly."

"Then..." I hesitated, before I asked, "Could you lead me to Carlisle Cullen? Just to make sure he's all right."

Alistair shook his head before I'd finished asking. "I don't travel with others."

"What if the reason you were pulled towards me instead of Carlisle is because he's in trouble?" I said. The worry bled into my voice.

Alistair paused and then shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he said, "Carlisle's fine. If I can feel a pull towards someone, I know they're all right."

"Then you know where he is!?" I said, leaping towards him. Unconsciously, I made to grip his jacket.

"No, my gift doesn't work like that," Alistair said, deftly dodging me. "It's more of an elusive pull towards or away from something, that's all. It's not like I have a God's eye view or anything."

"An elusive pull…" I repeated. The cloud of worry over my head intensified. "Then you don't know whether he's in trouble or not."

"He's alive," he replied curtly. "I'm sure of that."

"But that's all," I challenged.

Alistair sighed. I noticed how his eyes wandered towards the cave entrance. In an idle voice, he said, "I'm going to take off now, if it's all the same to you."

"No, you're not," I said, gritting my teeth. "You're not going anywhere until we figure out whether Carlisle's all right."

"What did Carlisle do that's so special to you, huh?" he asked me gruffly.

I paused. I didn't want to give anything away, but I needed his help. Finally, I admitted, "He created me."

At this, Alistair seemed to perk up a little. "He created you? And then left you?"

Dropping my eyes, I muttered reluctantly, "It seems that way."

"Odd," Alistair murmured. "That's not like him at all."

Alistair abruptly paused, holding up his hand to motion that I should stay still. I froze. Then, a tense scowl rolled across Alistair face. "Or maybe it's not so odd," he said darkly. "Not if someone's after him."

* * *

Suddenly, I could hear hissing voices just outside the cave's entrance. I could tell by the scent that they were more vampires. A flurry of panic whooshed up in my stomach. _Who were they? And why hadn't I heard them coming?_ As another ocean wave crashed into the rocky island, I realized, _Oh, of course. They_ _were swimming in the ocean, hiding their scents, and the waves would have masked any sound of their approach._ Now, though, they were close enough that Alistair and I could roughly make out their voices.

"Guess I've overstayed my welcome," Alistair said lazily, then bolted.

"Get back here!" I growled. But he was gone.

I followed after him. I wasn't sure why these other vampires were suddenly at the cave, but I wasn't going to let Alistair, my one and only lead to Dr. Cullen, who was potentially in trouble, go without a fight.

But I was being completely naïve. I didn't have any reason to presume that these other vampires would be after me, or be so easily disposed to kill me - but they were. Alistair, who had darted out from the cave before me, had clearly alerted the vampires waiting at the entrance. He gave them the slip rather easily, dodging their attempts to subdue him and disappearing - either in the ocean or behind the rock, I wasn't sure.

By the time I rushed out, he really was gone - and so were most of the vampires who were chasing Alistair. However, one of the vampires had posted himself just above the mouth of the cave, trying to see if Alistair was collaborating with anyone. When I came out, he immediately leapt down and landed on my shoulders. I snarled and tried to throw him off, but his hands gripped my head quite firmly.

The two other vampires returned, momentarily giving up on their chase for Alistair. Seeing their companion ambushing me, the two vampires raced up to help him, forcing me to the ground and twisting my arms behind me.

"He's gone!" One of the vampires communicated to the others, "Clearly, they're not allies. Get rid of her."

I thrashed against their hold, but the vampire gripping my head began to twist my head... Intense pain ran up my spine and burst at my neck. I screamed. "No! Please! Please don't kill me!"

But they ignored me. Terrifyingly, I felt my neck start to shatter.

All at once, a piercing shriek split the air. The merciless grip on my head disappeared, as did the hands holding my arms back. I bolted to my feet. Before me, Alistair was fighting off all three vampires at once.

With all of the newborn strength that I could muster, I rushed forward and slammed one vampire against the rocks. The rock broke away and the vampire fell down, temporarily stunned. I whirled around to face the other vampires, but I paused. I was at a complete loss as to what to do now.

Seeing me standing there, Alistair shouted in frustration, "Damn it, use your strength! Get your arms around them and crush their ribs!"

Taking his advice, I managed to get my arms around the vampire who had nearly ripped my head off. Gritting my teeth, I squeezed hard. I heard him cry out in agony as I broke his ribs.

Facing only one vampire now, Alistair made short work of him, tearing the vampire's arm off. As the vampire screamed, in pain and distracted, Alistair turned to me and shouted, "That's enough! Let's go!"

Together, we raced off of the rock and dove into the depths of the crashing ocean.

* * *

We swam for hours without coming up for breath. Alistair took the lead as to our direction, and I followed him. I wondered if his plan was to shake me off and ditch me. I knew he could easily do so, if he wished to. However, whether out of purpose or laziness, Alistair stayed within my sight.

When we eventually surfaced, I was confused to see that it was still night time. _Did we swim for an entire day? It didn't seem quite that long..._

Before I could ask, Alistair muttered, "We changed time zones. We're in Pacific Time now."

"Wait, what?" I said, incredulous. "We're in the States?"

"Unfortunately," Alistair said in an irritated voice. Then, he ordered, "We need to swim further North. There's too much sunlight here."

Without waiting for my response, he dove under and once again, I followed.

* * *

When we finally reached land, we staggered up the sandy beach. Alistair didn't wait or give any explanation as he quickly ran across the beach and into the tree-filled mountains. Just as we reached the dark and cool part of the tangled and ancient forest, the sun broke out over the horizon. It was a faintly gleaming sun, because there was a heavy stream of clouds all across the wide sky.

"We'll have to stay in the forest until cover of night," Alistair muttered under his breath. "Keep away from unfriendly eyes."

He didn't seem to be speaking for me, and he certainly didn't seem to want my input, but I gave it to him anyways. "It's cloudy," I pointed out.

Alistair shook his head at me, instantly rejecting my straightforward observation. "Human eyes aren't the only ones we have to be wary of here," he warned.

"Speaking of, we'll have to do something about those atrocious fighting skills of yours," he mused. "I'm not going to risk my existence every time you get tripped up by some other novice vampire."

Before I could defend my lack of fighting skills, Alistair ordered gruffly, "Get up."

"What?"

"Up," he repeated, jerking his hand in an "up" motion at me impatiently.

I got up, but as soon as I did, he swept my legs out from under me and slammed me down by the neck. _Well, isn't that a familiar move?_ I glared up at him. "There are other ways to say hello, Alistair."

"Shut up," he replied. "This is the most basic fighting move, but those without experience always fall for it."

He backed off and grunted, "Again. Get up."

But I refused to budge.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you stuck?" he asked bitingly. "I'm trying to train you, and you want to take a nap? Unbelievable."

"No," I retorted indignantly. "I just don't want to get up again until I've thought of a way to avoid your attack. Otherwise, you'll just sweep me right off my feet again."

He snorted. "While it's a relief to see that you have some sense of self-preservation, this hare-brained stunt is more likely to get you killed."

"See, I could just do this..." He stepped forward and started to put his foot on my chest. I immediately rolled over, but he anticipated that, and kneeling down, Alistair gripped my throat with his hand. "Dead."

I narrowed my eyes at him. When I began to open my mouth again, he snapped, "Save it. Get up. No more wasting time."

* * *

Alistair trained me in fighting for the rest of the day. It seemed to require little to no effort on his part - not because he wasn't teaching me well, but because he seemed to know all of these fighting tricks so well that it bored him to have to explain them to me.

However, despite his dry manner of teaching, I had to admit that I learned a lot. When I thanked him, he dismissed my gratitude. With a grimace on his face, as though I had said something unpleasant, Alistair said, "Don't thank me. Just know I'm not saving your ass ever again."

I laughed a little. Fed up, Alistair scowled and turned away from me. Leaping up lithely, he found a spot to sit in high up in a thick fir tree.

Although I knew that Alistair wanted his space, and I genuinely didn't want to annoy him, I still had pressing questions that I needed to ask him. I leapt up after him, though I had to search to find a branch close enough to him that would take my weight. Alistair watched me struggle wordlessly, if not resentfully. Finally, I managed to perch myself atop a somewhat dubious branch. Looking over at him, I asked, "Alistair, how do you know Carlisle?"

He shrugged.

"You know my relation with Carlisle," I reminded him. "It's only fair I know yours."

"I don't owe you anything," he said brusquely.

I fell silent, but I waited for him, swaying precariously on my branch.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine."

He continued, "Carlisle was created three or four hundred years after me. When he found me, he was young and desperate for company. I kept running away from him, but he kept trying to chase after me. He was so pitiful, all eager for friendship. And then there was his odd way of life. He wouldn't feed on humans. I thought that was... interesting, if not downright stupid. So we traveled together for a little while. But after a time, I just couldn't stand it anymore. We parted ways."

"Carlisle was lonely?" I murmured wonderingly.

"Yes, lonely enough to latch onto me," Alistair grimaced.

"You're not so bad," I remarked, with a small smile on my face.

"Don't," Alistair growled at me. "Any sign of attachment and I'm warning you, I'm off."

"All right, all right," I said quickly. "Keep your pants on."

The tree branch I was sitting on had had enough. It suddenly snapped. But as with all of my senses, my reflexes were so much more heightened that I was able to leap off of the branch before it had even finished snapping. I fell lightly back on my feet on the ground.

Alistair murmured, "Stay down there. You leave my tree alone, now."

I looked up at him and flashed a quick smile at him, before I settled down under the tree. Closing my eyes, I finally entered my dreamscape of a silver castle in the clouds, surrounded by a haze of golden, glimmering butterflies.


	8. Remains of an Ancient Sun

Shauna Black's POV

Benjamin and I were curled up together in a hammock on the beach.

"Shauna," he said gently, "you know I have to go back home for a little while. I've got to finish up some of the work I dropped to come up here."

My head resting on his shoulder, I nodded. "I know, Ben."

Turning a little to face him, I snuggled into his side and lay my head against the crook of his neck. "Thank you for coming up here to be with me. I know how important this summer physics research is to you. It's your dream project, and I want you to take full advantage of it."

"But I have to admit," I told him, "it felt so much easier, dealing with everything, because you were here."

I was certain that Benjamin didn't fully understand how soothing his presence had been to me these past few days. Some nights, when the anxiety and depression of losing Grandpa and watching Dad trying to find himself again all became too much to process, I started to shiver. I felt like I was going to lose control of myself. I had never experienced panic attacks before, but I was guessing that this is what they felt like. But Benjamin was there for me. He was technically supposed to stay in the guest bedroom in our house, but he snuck out every night. He came to my room, slipped in my bed with me, and held me close. He gently stroked my hair and waited for me to calm down and fall asleep.

Mom was irritated when she found us asleep together on my bed. In fact, "irritated" was putting it mildly. "You're brash, and you can't control your feelings, Shauna," she told me sternly. "It's dangerous to be together when you're not in control of your emotions."

Thinking she was talking about sex, I'd blushed and responded defensively, "It's not even like that!"

She just shook her head at me, half disagreeing with me and half telling me to keep my voice down so that I wouldn't bother Dad. It never even crossed my mind that she could be talking about something other than sex.

Almost as though he'd read my thoughts, Benjamin murmured, "Maybe your mom will like me better if I leave for a bit?"

I laughed a little. "I don't think her attitude has anything to do with you. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Really?" Benjamin said hopefully. "Well, then, I can come back in a couple weeks, if you'd like."

"I'd love that," I said honestly. "But you know, I can always go up to you, too."

Benjamin frowned. "As much as I want you to come over, my childhood home isn't always the best place to be."

"Because of your dad, you mean?" I asked, keeping my voice soft.

"Yeah," Benjamin admitted. "I don't ever want you to see him when he's drunk. I would be so embarrassed. Sometimes, he gets even more difficult in front of guests. I don't want you to have to see that, and I don't want my dad to hurt himself, either."

"Then, yes," I told Benjamin, "come back to me."

He smiled. Reaching up, he gently pushed my face up so that he could press his lips against mine.

Suddenly, we both heard a loud wolf-whistle. Lifting our heads, Benjamin and I both squinted to see Quil, Liam, and Theo some twenty yards away from us.

"Look at the little lovebirds!" Quil crowed, waving at us.

Embarrassed, I told Benjamin, "Ignore them."

But Benjamin sported a somewhat puzzled smile as he politely waved back at them.

Quil laughed and waved again before taking off, dragging Liam into the water just for the hell of it. Benjamin and I watched as Quil attempted to wrestle Theo down besides Liam, but Theo resolutely stood his ground, immovable as always. A moment later, Theo turned the tables and easily launched Quil into the water. Quil spluttered in indignation. Benjamin and I both laughed before we turned away from them. We slipped back into our little world, where only the two of us existed, talking about our dreams and sneaking kisses between replies.

* * *

After Benjamin left to return to his home that evening, I went for a run, wanting to get away from the grief that lingered so heavily in my house. My mind was preoccupied during the entire run, and for the first time, I didn't focus on my speed and jogged somewhat slowly. So, it was a slight shock when I realized how quickly night had fallen. _Damn,_ _I'm too far into the forest to turn back now._ _I can't go traipsing through the forest in the dark. I'll just have to power through to the main road._ I picked up my pace.

As I ran forward, I suddenly realized that my feet had taken me back to the empty house at the end of the main road. _Oops, too far east... I should turn back._

With a sigh, I started to jog steadily past the house and up the main road when that strange scent hit my nose again. That sickly sweet scent… I started to grimace, and I waited for the momentary wave of nausea to pass over me. Instead, I felt my body began to shiver.

 _What is going on with me?_ _Calm down_ , I told myself.

But then I saw it. Hiding between the trees, a pair of blood red eyes and pale skin.

I knew immediately that this was the source of that poisonous smell. Upon being seen, the creature hissed.

I tensed and I felt my entire body trembling violently. _Shit, what is happening to me?_

Suddenly, the creature leapt at me. In a blink of an eye, she had crossed a hundred yards - out of the trees and over the main road - to reach me.

I felt something snap violently within me. It was an odd feeling - as though someone had reached down and yanked on a string deep within my soul that I'd always knew I'd had, but had never thought to touch. But when it snapped, it snapped _hard_.

Just before her hands reached my neck, I exploded into a growling beast. I nearly ripped her head off in the midst of my transformation.

She backed away, her mane of blonde hair shivering angrily.

A low rumble built up in my throat and came out as a fearsome growl.

She hissed and grabbed at me again. I dodged her. I made to bite her, but she kicked me hard in the shoulder. I flew back and rolled once in the grass. Spitting angrily, I leapt on all fours again, my fur bristling all over. But by then, she had disappeared.

* * *

It was late at night when I finally climbed in through my bedroom window. It had been hard to calm down this time. I couldn't just write off my experiences as lack of sleep or from the shock of losing Grandpa. No, I had definitely transformed into a _wolf_ , and if I wasn't mistaken, I'd just fought with a _vampire_.

 _What the hell is all this? This can't be real, right? I must be losing my mind._ Still shaking, I reached into my drawer and pulled on a new shirt - my old one was gone, ripped to pieces by my transformation. As I threw the shirt up and over my head, I felt a painful tension in my shoulder. I frowned, and pulling my sleeve down, I examined my shoulder. A large, splotchy bruise covered the better half of my shoulder.

Suddenly, my bedroom door opened. I hastily pushed my sleeve back up, and turned around to find my mom fuming at me.

"Shauna. Black. Where were you?" Mom was seething. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

I stood still, refusing to feign remorse. Last time, Mom had asked me if I'd transformed into a wolf. She clearly knew more about this than she was letting on, and after tonight's events had solidified in my mind that I was, in fact, a werewolf, it made me angry to think that Mom knew about all this and was purposefully keeping me in the dark.

"Do you have anything to tell me?" Mom demanded from me, crossing her arms.

My temper rose, and I hissed back, "Do you have anything to tell _me_?"

"Tell you?" Mom repeated, confused. "About what?"

"Oh, I don't know - say, about _wolves_?"

The fury abruptly disappeared from my mother's face. It was replaced by something I'd never seen in my brave mother: a strange mixture of fear and vulnerability.

My anger broke and dissipated. In a careful voice, I called out, "Mom?"

"Shauna, tell me what happened," Mom said.

I took a deep breath. Then, I admitted, "I transformed."

Mom closed her eyes. For a moment, I thought she was going to pass out.

"I thought you knew," I said hurriedly, confused.

After a moment, Mom opened her eyes again, but they were downcast - sad, almost. She wasn't looking at me.

"I hoped it wasn't true," she said quietly. "What happened to set it off?"

My mind immediately jumped to the creature I'd seen in the forest, but something in me tugged at my conscience, and warned me not to reveal anything about the vampire. Again, it was so strange to me that Mom seemed to know way more about the situation than I did, and yet she was seeking answers from me instead of explaining what she knew. _Whatever is going on, I need her to be more honest and open with me before I reveal everything..._

So I just told her, "When Grandpa passed away…"

"Of course," Mom sighed. "It would trigger it."

I needed answers. "Mom," I said, "are the Quileute legends true? Am I… a shape-shifter?"

Mom's eyes flickered up to meet mine. Her voice was heavy as she replied, "It sounds like it, Shauna."

There was a moment of silence between us.

"What does it mean?" I asked her, suddenly afraid.

"I don't know. But at the least, we should all be careful, especially you." Mom started to turn away.

I called out after her. "This isn't the first time you've seen this happen, is it?"

Her outline framed in the doorway, Mom slowly shook her head. "No, it's not the first time."

"Get some sleep, Shauna," she said softly. Then, she left.

I got into bed, but I couldn't fall asleep. I stared up at the ceiling, pondering what had happened to me and what this could all mean. With a frustrated sigh, I turned over onto my side. I started to close my eyes, when I suddenly realized something. _My shoulder! It should hurt since I'm lying on it, but it doesn't. I don't feel any pain or discomfort._ I sat up and pulled down my sleeve. I paused. _The bruise is completely gone. As though I was never hurt. Is it possible to heal so quickly? Or was I even hurt at all?_ I let out a long, slow breath.

This was all too cryptic for my taste. Mom's side-stepping my questions, that vampire hanging around the abandoned glass house, the tribe's legends about wolves... I could obviously sense that all of this was connected, but the question was: _How? And why is it affecting me? And how come Mom won't talk about it?_

I needed answers. But I knew I couldn't go around asking the Elders for answers. They would tell Mom, obviously. So the next morning, I went to the only person I could trust to not tell Mom anything.

* * *

The door opened.

"Here's my favorite niece."

"Hi, Uncle Seth," I greeted him.

"Come on in, kiddo."

"You've upgraded," I remarked, noticing the new décor matching the couch in the living room. "Finally decided to be an adult?"

My uncle grinned sheepishly. "Don't know about that."

I walked into the kitchen where I saw a pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

"Ah, there's a familiar sight," I teased. "Now I know you're my Uncle Seth."

He smiled at me as I teased him.

"I cleaned the couch for you, though, so take a seat," Uncle Seth replied.

Humoring him, I walked back to the couch and sat down.

"So what's up?" he asked, sitting in the recliner besides the couch.

I shrugged. "I just had a few questions and I thought Mom might get mad if I asked her."

"Like what?" my uncle prompted. "Don't tell me you came here to ask for advice on beer or cigarettes or anything like that. Leah would kill me.

"No," I said quickly, "of course not. I want to keep you alive, Uncle Seth. You're the only defense I have against Mom sometimes."

Uncle Seth grinned. "You used to come running to me whenever Leah got mad at you for something. But I guess you've outgrown that now."

"Never," I replied, with a smile.

"So, then, what is it this time?"

"The tribe's history…" I said thoughtfully. "All the legends… Are they true?"

Uncle Seth paused, surprised. "I don't understand why Leah would be mad at you asking her about that."

"I brought up the legend of the Quileutes as Shape-Shifters," I told him.

"Ah," Uncle Seth closed his eyes and nodded. "I guess that would do it."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Uncle Seth put his head to one side as he studied me, as if calculating how much he could divulge to me.

"She's admitted already that she's seen it happen before," I pushed, hoping that Uncle Seth would disclose more if I was completely open with him.

Uncle Seth did not disappoint. He chuckled lightly as he said to me, "She told you that?"

I nodded.

He shook his head as he revealed, "It's not just that Leah's seen it all before. She's _lived_ it all before."

I paused as the information sunk it. "Wait. You mean she _is_ a shape-shifter?"

"Was," Uncle Seth corrected. "She stopped shape shifting long enough to age again, which is, incidentally, the only reason you and your brother could be born."

"We all stopped shape shifting together," Uncle Seth told me, reminiscing. "Just as we all started together. We're a tribe… and we're a pack."

"We _all_ …? You were a Shape-Shifter too?" I said in disbelief.

"Of course. It was me and your mother and Embry, Quil, Jared, and Paul. Even Brady and Collin… They were our youngest members. Then, of course, there were our Alpha leaders: Sam and Jacob."

"Jacob… as in my dad," I repeated in an awed voice, still not believing him.

"So, everyone transformed into wolves?" I asked, trying to picture an entire wolf pack comprised of my parents, relatives, and friends.

Uncle Seth nodded.

"How is that possible?" I wondered aloud.

"Don't you know the legends?" Uncle Seth reminded me. "From the beginning, our tribe members have had magic in our blood. The members of our tribe now that are descendants of our ancestor Taha Aki have inherited that magic. Ephraim Black has the strongest tie with the bloodline of Taha Aki. So that power filters down to your father and now to your brother and you. But we, the Clearwaters, have the magic in our bloods as well, and we transformed when we were needed."

"Needed…?" I repeated, confused. "What need could there be for…?" My voice died away as I realized exactly what would call for the existence of wolves: vampires.

"The Cold Ones," I said, answering my own question. I shivered.

"Yes," Uncle Seth confirmed. "A group of them lived right here, in Forks."

"In _Forks_?"

"Mmhm. But they were different. They had golden eyes and claimed that they did not hurt humans. They drank from animals, not humans. So our ancestors made a treaty with them. They disappeared some years ago, but returned when your parents and I were around your age."

"Are they still in Forks?"

"No, they've disappeared again," Uncle Seth replied. "And after they left, our wolf forms weren't necessary anymore. So the tribe… no, the _pack_ decided to stop shifting."

"Why?"

"In order to age and carry on with our lives," Uncle Seth explained quietly. "See, you don't age when you shape shift often. Your body doesn't… move on. You heal faster and grow stronger, but you also trade in growing over time. It's as though many years of growth hits you at once."

I realized, _that explains the bruise on my shoulder disappearing so quickly last night..._

"It affected Leah especially. Your mother was the only female werewolf," Uncle Seth said, and he sighed as he recalled the past. "Her menstrual cycles had stopped and she was worried. Females historically never became wolves. It never happened before- until her."

I remembered what Grandpa had told me: " _Women are heroes in our legends just as often as men, but women were never Spirit Warriors. At least, not in the old legends..._ _Perhaps when you're older, you should ask your mother again."_

"She was frightened that she would never be able to have children," Uncle Seth said softly. "And of course, being the only female in a pack of teenage boys, she didn't exactly receive any sympathy from the rest of us."

"Still," Uncle Seth said, with pride in his voice. "She never gave up her identity as a werewolf. She was a valuable asset. She was always the fastest. It's like she was born to run. If Jake was the fighter, your mother was the runner."

I blinked. _Mom was the fastest?_ At last, I knew where my speed came from.

"The tribe and the pack are one and the same, Billie," Uncle Seth told me. "When we transformed into wolves, we even had telepathic communication. It just proves that being a Quileute means something very deep down. We are a family. I remember that when I transformed, the others were there to comfort me, to reassure me that I wasn't going insane. I would never have made it through without them. It's so disorienting when you become a wolf for the first couple times. You couldn't believe it."

"No kidding," I said dryly.

"But you understand why Leah- your mother- might be sensitive on this topic," Uncle Seth said seriously, looking me in the eye.

I nodded.

"And don't go spreading this information around. When we made the decision as a pack, it was to ensure that the whole tribe would continue living, striving for the future instead of being caught up in the past. If we thought it would help you, we would have told you. That's why I'm telling you now - so that you understand that Leah isn't just being cold to you or dismissing you. Your mother's trying to protect you, and everyone else. Because reopening past wounds like this… It wouldn't help the community one bit."

"I understand," I said, and I did. I had no desire to tell anyone.

Then, I realized something. I snorted.

"What is it?" Uncle Seth asked me.

"Now I know why everyone looks so young," I replied. "It's not flawless skin genes, its werewolf genes."

Uncle Seth grinned at me.

* * *

Annabelle's POV

Night fell and we resumed our tracking.

"Let's see," Alistair began. He closed his eyes.

"What are you-?"

"Shut up," he growled.

I fell quiet instantly.

As a light wind picked up and rustled through the trees, I felt uncomfortable, though I couldn't quite place the reason for it.

"This way," Alistair said, and began to step towards his right when he suddenly froze. I watched him with wide eyes. I stepped towards him but he grabbed my shoulder, preventing me from moving. He lifted his head and sniffed the air. Then, he cursed tersely, "Shit."

"I thought you would notice us. Impressive as always, Alistair."

Four figures appeared from behind the trees.

"Alistair," an angelic, feminine voice rang out. "It's been a while."

Alistair did not reply to her. Instead, he muttered grimly under his breath, "The Volturi, of all people, and to be caught with you. It seems my luck's run out once and for all."

Then, he murmured to me warily, "Prepare yourself."

"For what?" I asked anxiously.

A white mist began to roll out of the trees towards us. If I wasn't mistaken, the mist was not some strange natural phenomenon, but it was coming from and directed by one of the hooded figures.

"Run," Alistair ordered. But for once, I was already ahead of him. I was in the lead, outrunning Alistair easily thanks to my newborn strength, when suddenly, a shout of pain rang out behind me. I abruptly stopped and turned.

Alistair was on his knees, yelling in pain. Meanwhile, the white mist rolled ever closer to him. It was now practically lapping at his feet.

"No!" I shouted. I sprinted back to Alistair as fast as I possibly could. I tried to drag him forward with me.

At that moment, the cloaked figure who had trained her gaze on Alistair suddenly turned her eyes onto me. A horrible, intense pain tore through me. I thought I was literally being ripped in half. It was pain to such intensity that it brought back memories of being changed again. I screamed and I dropped to the forest floor. After a seemingly endless unit of time, the pain finally stopped. I lay curled up on the floor, gasping for air that I didn't need.

"Fool," Alistair grimaced at me. "You should have run."

Before I could respond, the white mist descended upon us, enveloping us in a haze so thick I couldn't even see Alistair right beside me. All-consuming numbness descended upon both of us, subverting any desire for action into a strange, abstract form of nothingness. I sat on the forest floor, unblinking and mute.

"Felix, Demetri. Tie them up and take them aboard," the female voice ordered. She sounded bored.

There was a stretch of time that I did not recognize, nor did I feel any need to ask how much time was passing, or why I was so numb...

However, the numbness was abruptly broken by a faint burning sensation around my wrists. I squirmed uncomfortably.

"Hold still. Unless you'd prefer to have another taste of pain," that light, lilting voice threatened smoothly.

I paused as my mind flashed back through the white mist of nothingness to the sharp burning of pain. I held still, though I immediately despised the feeling of this strange, metallic, almost glowing rope tied firmly around my wrists.

A soft laugh rang out. I looked up from my wrists to see a male vampire standing besides Jane. He was exactly her height, and shared all of her features except for his dark brown hair, as opposed to her blonde hair. "You tame them so well, sister," he murmured.

"Not as well as you, Alec," Jane replied. "What I wouldn't give to be able to incapacitate a crowd at once..."

At her words, tossed out so casually and so cruelly, I shivered slightly. _Who are these people?_ _Why are they doing this to me and Alistair?_

Just then, I heard an amused voice besides me, "You didn't think you could outrun _me,_ Alistair." I turned my head to see an olive-skinned vampire with short black hair and thick eyebrows. He laughed lowly at Alistair, but Alistair didn't respond. He said nothing. A strange expression of resignation and defiance played across grimly on his face.

When the female vampire with the lovely voice approached Alistair with golden rope, the olive-skinned vampire with black hair shook his head. "Rope doesn't work on him, Jane," he reminded her. "Remember last time?"

"I do remember, Demetri," Jane replied, staring down at Alistair with utmost distaste.

 _Last time?_ So, Alistair had encountered these vampires before - and they'd caught him, but he had managed to escape somehow. That didn't surprise me anymore. Alistair's combination of tracking and independence made him very hard to pin down at any given moment - even when he was right in front of you.

"Felix. Guard Alistair," Jane snapped. An incredibly large-statured and muscular vampire stepped up and took hold of Alistair.

"To the brig," Jane commanded.

Suddenly, I was jerked forward by the rope, which Demetri had picked up and was now harshly tugging forward.

"Wait!" I blurted out. "Please listen. You've got the wrong people. We didn't come here to do anything harmful. We just wanted to visit a friend."

"Oh, we know," Jane said lightly. "Carlisle Cullen. The conspirator."

"Conspirator?" I repeated, bewildered. "He's not a conspirator. He's a doctor!"

"The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I'd say that his weakness towards humans is partially what twisted his sense of loyalty," Jane informed me matter-of-factly. "He was once one of us, you know. He lived with us, learned from us... Though, even then he was strange. He refused to feed on humans. I wonder if all that animal blood he drank made him lose his mind..."

"It didn't make him lose his mind! It allowed him to retain his humanity!" I shot back.

"I highly, highly doubt that," Jane said. Her eyes glinted dangerously at me.

I instinctively flinched.

"Don't worry," Jane assured me, sounding terribly amused. "You'll see him. In the afterlife, which for us - is hell."

With a grim, but nonetheless pleased smile, Jane watched as Alistair and I were dragged onto the ship.

* * *

Alistair and I were both thrown into a metal cage of some sort. As soon as they walked away, I turned to Alistair.

"We have to get out!" I said, breathlessly. "We have to leave. Escape."

"Well, by all means, try," Alistair replied dully.

Under his breath, he muttered, "This is what I get for entangling with others. Foolish of me to think that any good would come of it."

Though my hands were still bound by the gold ropes, I reached out and gripped the golden prison bars. I tried with all my strength to break through the cage. However, not only did the metal bars not budge, but they seemed to burn against my skin. I realized the the metal bars and the rope around my wrists were both made out of the same material.

"What is this metal?" I grimaced, staring down at my hands. "It burns. And I can't break through it, even with my newborn strength."

Eyes closed, Alistair sighed out an explanation wearily. "It's metal reused from ancient sun dials. It repels us because it's created from the two things that do us no favor: sunlight and time."

I sank to my feet, sitting beside Alistair. I whispered to him, "Alistair, where are they taking us?"

"Volterra," he murmured.

"What for? What's in Volterra?" I inquired.

Alistair opened one eye and glared at me. I got the less than subtle hint to shut up.

I hugged my hands and knees to my chest as my mind kept spinning. _What could be in Volterra?_

Then, I remembered something Carlisle had told me: _"The largest and most powerful coven is the Volturi. Most of our kind consider them the ruling body of the vampire world."_

 _So, then, we're being taken to the Volturi to be judged._ I shivered.


	9. Phantasma Dominus

Annabelle's POV

A long and miserable trip later, and the ship finally docked. I wondered where we were, but before I had even stepped out of the brig, Demetri blindfolded me. He held onto the end of my rope again. They seemed to have given up entirely on depriving Alistair of his senses or else he already knew everything about these vampires, for they did nothing except assign Felix to him. Demetri yanked on the rope, forcing me to shuffle forward.

An interesting array of scents hit me as I left the ship. The briny scent of the ocean swirled in the air as bracing winds whistled around us.

Then, as I was tugged along, the wind calmed and the scents and sounds of human life in a bustling village assuaged my senses. Even without my sight, my senses were so vibrant that I could almost form a full picture of what was going on around me. I could smell the marketplace by its tanned leather, freshly baked bread, and different spices. I could hear the clinking of gems as customers looked at jewelry, and I could hear the slippery, almost soft sounds of damp rose stems rubbing together as someone picked out flowers for a bouquet.

But I had barely processed the richness of these sensory details when I was altogether consumed by the singular sensation of human blood. Inside me, the snake that so desired to sink its fangs into its prey rose up again. I snarled, my lips pulling back to expose my teeth.

I felt a sharp jab in my back. "Focus, newborn," a voice hissed.

The rope tugged me this way and that, navigating me through the crowd. I heard surprised voices as people saw that I was blindfolded and roped. But the vampires didn't seem to care.

However, one person - a human - broke away from the crowd to approach me and come speak to me. Before I could respond, however, I suddenly felt that overpowering numbness creep up on me again.

"Miss? Miss...?" But the person's voice was fading away.

Soon, I couldn't hear anything, due to the white mist that had wormed its way so thoroughly into my ears.

I can't explain to you how frightening Alec's power is. While Jane's power forces you to submit through the sharp, tearing sensation of pain, you at least know that you're _supposed_ to resist. As such, you retain a sense of self. But with Alec's power... Yes, at first, when the numbness creeps up on you, you feel morally, mentally, and physically repulsed. But by the time you either panic or form the resolve to resist, it's already too late. The numbness has taken effect. It's swallowed you up entirely.

All there is before you is a white mist, a tantalizing vision to lure you into eternal and complete submission... _Why think, when everything is part of one monotonous landscape? Why resist, when everything is ephemeral, swirling fog?_

* * *

The mist disappeared at the same time as the blindfold.

Regaining my senses on two different levels all at once, sensory information overwhelmed my mind for a moment. It took me a prolonged second to put together the different pieces to actually take in where I was now and what was happening in front of me.

_Oh,_ I realized, _the particles of light hitting off of those dust motes, giving out spiraling colors of gold and white - they're part of a greater perception. In fact, if I zone out from the particle level, those atoms make up the intricately designed marble ceiling of whatever building I'm in..._

My eyes traced down the gold, black, and white marble ceiling, slid down a handsomely carven column, and followed the chessboard-like pattern all the way down to the floor at my feet. The floor ascended into stairs surrounding a risen half-circle, on which three thrones were placed. I lifted my gaze to see that on these thrones were three vampires, sitting like kings, if not outright gods.

All three of them shared snow white skin. The texture seemed almost powdery. They also shared the same eye color: a bright crimson red in the center, but clouded towards the edges.

But there were clear differences among the three of them. A vampire with long black hair, who was sitting in an almost poetic manner, sat in the middle throne. He could easily have been Romeo, except that Romeo could die by poison. On the left, a vampire with silver-white hair that fell to his shoulders sat in a dominant posture. His razor-sharp gaze and stern jaw warned any and all that he did not have patience for anything that did not please him. And on the right, the tallest vampire, with shoulder-length raven black hair (even blacker than the first vampire's), and a completely indifferent expression that reminded me of Alec's sensory deprivation powers, sat, looking rather depressed.

The vampire sitting in the middle throne spoke delicately, but his voice rang out nonetheless: "Jane, Alex, Felix, Demetri - welcome."

"Thank you, Master Aro." Jane and Alec returned to their places at the bottom of the stairs. With their hoods back, I could see their faces and I guessed now that they were not simply siblings, but actual twins. Demetri and Felix kept guard over the doors.

"And you've brought us guests," Aro, the vampire with long black hair spoke, rising from his seat.

All three vampire lords turned their gazes onto Alistair and me.

"You never fail me, Jane," Aro continued, sounding most amused. He gracefully descended down the stairs towards us.

When he stopped before us, he opened his arms as though in welcome and said, "Alistair."

I turned my head to look at Alistair, but my movement caught the vampire lord's eye. His blood red eyes widened as he took in my presence, as though I had been too insignificant to be acknowledged before this moment, even though I'd been brought into his chambers as a captive.

But now, Aro wanted to know: "Alistair, have you found a mate?"

"Why ask when you'll know?" Alistair questioned sarcastically. "Still stuck on formalities after all this time, Aro?"

"It's only polite," Aro responded, in a surprisingly calm and light voice, as though his voice was constructed from the sound of falling feathers. He offered Aro a placating smile.

"Polite?" Alistair repeated. A flicker of rage broke through his perfect façade of casual annoyance. "You think I don't know, Aro? The renegade vampires after me didn't escape Volterra. They were sent by the three of you. You're determined to end the Cullens by hunting down their allies!"

I whipped my head back and forth between Aro and Alistair, terrified.

But Aro's smile did not break. Neither did the other two vampires stir. For a moment, there was only dead silence - the kind of silence that humans could never achieve. But we vampires could assume all the silence of a tomb because we were, in some sense, not alive.

Abruptly, a whispering, but powerful voice slithered in, breaking the silence in a strange, spellbinding hum. "No, they are not mates."

Aro looked back at the vampire who was sitting on the rightmost throne. "Thank you, brother," he said graciously.

Catching my curious gaze, Aro explained to me, "My brother Marcus has a most interesting gift. He can read the relationships between beings."

"But," Aro said, his voice suddenly becoming both brighter and more sinister, "that only tells me a fraction of what I wish to know."

Aro stepped forth and extended his hand toward Alistair. Alistair stiffened.

"Please do not refuse me. You know what will happen," Aro said, and his feathery voice thinly veiled a threat.

Alistair gritted his teeth in anger, but a moment later, he relented and reluctantly touched his finger to Aro's palm.

Aro closed his eyes. After a few beats of silence, Aro sighed. He murmured, "So, you suspected us all the way back when we visited the Cullens in Washington. You ran then, but you were curious as to what happened to Carlisle. Once that question was in your mind, your tracking ability led to her…"

Aro's eyes suddenly turned to me. I breathed out and stepped back. He laughed. "Don't worry, la mia bella. I only want to help you..." He stepped forward and removed the rope binding my wrists. I winced when the burning rope finally slid off of my skin.

"Yes, it burns, doesn't it?" Aro remarked knowingly.

"But you see? I only wish to help you," he repeated, watching the ropes fall to the ground. Then, he added, "...and to know what's on your mind."

In a seemingly perfunctory and polite move, Aro extended his hand out to me. I looked over at Alistair, but he gave no indication of what I should do. Before I could choose how to react, Aro, impatient, reached down and grabbed my hand.

I let out a noise of surprise as I saw my own memories flash through my mind.

_I was five and I realized that I was different. I didn't have parents and I didn't celebrate birthdays._

_I was fourteen when I realized I had an affinity and talent for science, particularly biology and biochemistry. I immersed myself in academics._

_I was seventeen and I realized that between the money I had scraped together and the acceptance letters I'd received, I was going to be able to go to college._

_I was twenty-one and was sitting in a hospital in London, trying to process what it meant to have cancer. That's when the door opened and the doctor in charge walked in. "Hello," he said. "My name is Dr. Cullen."_

_His kind voice became increasingly familiar as more memories flashed by._

_"Ms. Taylor. May I ask what you are doing?"_

_"Well, I couldn't really afford to buy you a real present, so I stole flowers off of several different properties…"_

_..._

_"Stop it, doctor."_

_"Stop… it?"_

_"Your eyes… They're sad. Stop that."_

_..._

_"Annabelle. You are allowed to save yourself."_

_"How much time do I have?"_

_"If you refuse treatment, weeks."_

_"Thank you for everything."_

_..._

_Weeks passed forward in a blur. I reflected on my time in the orphanage and stared at artwork in museums, wondering if any of this preparation would actually help me face death._ _I lost most of my voice, breath, and energy. It was hard to just be a living, breathing thing, let alone a full person._

_My time was up that last day I went to the supermarket. I collapsed._

_When I opened my eyes again, I saw a face that had become dear to me._

_"Annabelle."_

_"Doctor."_

_"I'm scared."_

_His sad golden eyes gazed at me. They were the last thing I remembered of my human life because I died._

_Then, there was only pain._

_..._

_When finally, it subsided, I was utterly confused until Dr. Cullen explained everything to me. I was a vampire, but I could choose to only live off the blood of animals, if I so wished. I agreed, but I remained defensive now that I knew his true identity. He looked sadly at me, as though he regretted creating me._

_Finally, one day, he came into the cavern with a grim expression._

_"Annabelle. I have to leave."_

_"All right. Where are we going?"_

_"No. You cannot come with me."_

_I stared into those golden eyes, and saw nothing but truth._

_He doesn't want me to come, I thought numbly._ _He doesn't want me at all._

_..._

_In the following days, I continued testing my strength against human blood, when I ran into Alistair. He followed me to the cavern in the ocean._

_"I'm being pulled towards you," he said. "Care to explain why?"_

_"Your eyes…" he said. "Reminds me of Carlisle."_

_"Could you lead me to Carlisle Cullen? Just to make sure he's all right."_

_..._

_Alistair and I were swimming in the ocean. He had helped me escape and led me all the way to Forks. When we stepped in the forest, however, Jane's voice rang out dryly, "I thought you would notice us. Impressive as always, Alistair."_

_"Tie them up and take them aboard," she ordered, sounding bored._

_A half day later and-_

_..._

_Suddenly, I was in my dreamscape, flying amongst the stars. Golden luminescent light dripped from the stars, onto lavender, pale pink, and light teal clouds. The clouds gave way and an endless, soundless deep blue sky opened below me, sparkling with silver gems. I took a deep breath, and then jumped -_

"Fascinating." Aro's singular word shattered my dream.

My eyes snapped open. I leapt back, terrified, because if I wasn't mistaken, Aro had just read through every thought I'd ever had. Trembling, I snarled at him. " _What_ did you do to me?"

Aro held both hands out, as if to calm me down, and said simply, "Peace."

Then, he glanced over his shoulder and murmured with a certain satisfaction, "Marcus, you would love her."

Without the slightest change in expression, Marcus asked, "Why is that?"

"She can dream," Aro said, and his voice revealed the awe that he felt. "She constructs the most beautiful worlds in her mind and experiences them through sleep."

Alistair glanced at me. But this time, I was the one who did not respond, either to him or Aro.

"Interesting," Marcus said flatly.

"Who is her creator?" Caius asked, his sharp tone ringing through the air and breaking the feathery, floaty atmosphere Aro's persona so effectively created.

"This is where it becomes even more interesting," Aro said delightfully. He put his hands together and gazed at me as though pondering a deep thought. "Her creator is Carlisle Cullen."

Caius raised a skeptical eyebrow. At the foot of the stairs, Jane hissed. I remembered what she had told me about Carlisle: " _Carlisle Cullen. The conspirator."_

"You say that Carlisle created her," Marcus said. "Yet she is alone."

"He abandoned her," Aro explained softly. "He... didn't want her anymore." He repeated my thoughts word for word. He noticed the confidence and resistance on my face flicker when he spoke those words aloud.

"As we well know, the Cullens pride themselves on being a so-called family. Why has she been left behind?" Caius inquired astutely. "She's clearly a young vampire. She can't have committed too many sins as of yet. Yet, Carlisle abandoned her? What could she have possibly done?"

"Nothing," Aro replied delicately. "He just didn't want her."

Had I been a human, I would have flushed red with embarrassment. As it was, a low growl escaped my lips. Jane immediately turned her eyes on me, but Aro held up his hand. Meanwhile, Alistair shot me another glance.

"Then, what shall we do with them? They're hardly leverage," Caius said in a clipped voice, ignoring my growl completely.

"No, but they were on their way to join with Carlisle," Aro said. His voice inflection did not change at all, but the tension in the room was suddenly palpable.

"Let's keep them here until our business with the Cullens is done," Marcus suggested.

"Agreed," Caius decided briskly.

"Yes..." Aro seemed more thoughtful, more reluctant, and yet, the expression on his face was shrewd and calculating. "Our friend Alistair is too clever here. He's figured out too much, seen too much. And our friend… what was your name? Annabelle?"

I growled at him. "You pretend to ask politely after you've rummaged through my head? You don't have the right to know _anything_ about me."

The next moment, a fresh bolt of pain struck me where I stood, as Jane invoked her power on me. I cried out. It was but a brief burst of pain, but it was enough to knock me on my knees.

"Yes, Annabelle," Aro continued lightly, though I hadn't said anything. "She'll stay with us, too. She has the most vivid power."

"No," I protested vehemently, forcing myself to get back up on my feet. "I want to leave."

Aro blinked at my retort. "Well," he sighed, "we don't keep people here by force unless they've broken a law."

"Alistair hasn't broken any laws, either," I said.

Aro suddenly grinned. It frightened me. "You are very young, Annabelle," he said. "Many things happened before you were turned immortal. Alistair broke the law when the Cullens did. That was what Esme died for."

"Esme?" I had never heard that name before.

"Yes, of course. Esme was Carlisle's wife. They were together for many years. Carlisle never, ever left her side." Aro paused. His eyes studied my suddenly mute expression as he asked innocently, "Didn't you know?"

Aro suddenly _tsk_ ed. "Poor dear," he murmured, gazing at my face. "Your creator taught you absolutely nothing... except how to suffer by resisting our most natural temptation for human blood. He truly left you without a single thought for your well-being."

I remained silent.

"We, the Volturi, are different," Aro promised me. "And I offer you my aid. Stay here and learn about the arts and expand your gift."

"You said... You said I could leave as long as I didn't break any laws..." I said hesitantly.

Aro nodded. "Yes, my lovely, I did."

"We, unlike the Cullens, respect the rule of law," he told me. "We are not dictated by our desires, but by our principles."

"Then... you won't arrest me again for trying to find Carlisle, will you?" I challenged, raising my eyebrow at him. "After all, I presume that searching for someone is not a crime."

Aro suddenly laughed. "Clever girl," he praised me. "Of course we won't stop you. In fact, if you truly wish to find Carlisle, we'll lead you to him. You see, we too are searching for him."

I studied Aro cautiously. Besides me, Alistair made a sudden movement, as though to get my attention. I started to turn my head towards Alistair, but Aro abruptly reached out and grasped my face in his hand. Though Aro hardly looked as though he was exerting effort, his fingers adamantly held me in place, forcing me to look at him.

"Child," Aro said, and his voice was dead serious. "Join us, and you can do anything your little heart desires. We could find Carlisle and bring him here, together."

I hesitated. _More than anything, I want to see Carlisle and make sure he was all right. But... I'm not alone._

"What about Alistair?" I asked.

"He will await his trial for his crimes," Caius spoke pointedly. His tone indicated that he was through with us, and wanted us out.

"Then I'll wait with him," I decided. _Alistair was only trying to help me. He would never have been caught without me._

"No," Alistair finally broke his silence. In a firm voice, he told me, "You'll starve. Besides, this has to do with events before your time. Leave, while you can."

"My, you sound so cryptic, Alistair," Aro said lightly. "Of course, you may stay, Annabelle. Nothing would please me more."

"Annabelle. _Don't_ do this," Alistair growled.

_I can't just leave you, Alistair._ "I'll stay," I affirmed. "I'll stay with Alistair."

Aro smiled. "Then, so be it," he said poetically, lifting his hands lightly with his palms upturned, as though he had just delivered a sermon.

Behind him, Caius spoke sharply, "Felix. Demetri."

* * *

Felix and Demetri threw Alistair and me into a Volturi prison cell, which was a barren underground room. It featured three hard stone walls and a fourth wall comprised of golden metal bars. The bars hummed with the same threatening energy as the rope that had bound my wrists before.

As they threw us in, Alistair managed to stay on his feet, though he staggered a little. I tripped spectacularly and landed in a heap on the cold and dirty stone floor.

"You fool," Alistair spat out at me. "You utter fool. What were you thinking?"

Sitting on a prison cell floor and hearing Alistair's harsh words, I realized the full force of my situation: Despite not having committed any crimes, I was sitting, of my own volition, in a prison cell. What was more, my fate was tied to Alistair, who was awaiting a trial for some event that I knew nothing of.

Still, no matter what my fate, I knew that I had made the right decision to stay with Alistair. Regardless of how irritating we found each other and regardless of how little he wanted from me, I knew that I owed him my allegiance.

"You're right. I'm a fool," I retorted. "But I'm a newborn. What do you expect? I admit that I don't know anything about what's going on. Still, I went off of the only judgment I was certain about: I can't just leave you."

"I _told_ you what to do," Alistair said scathingly. "I told you to leave."

"I wasn't given a new life to follow someone else's orders," I replied stoutly.

Alistair just shook his head. "You'll have to, when they sentence me to death."

"They might not-"

"Might not? Of course they will! Don't you see? This trial is a sham. To have a trial at all is a declaration of death!" Alistair seethed. "The Volturi have never held a trial where they weren't sure of the outcome."

I fell silent.

"Damn fool," he muttered again. "Yapping about and following me like some lost puppy. Use your fucking head."

I stubbornly defended my decision to stay with me. "I still don't regret my decision," I told him honestly. I let out a long breath. "If I die, I die. I've been living off of borrowed time, anyways."

Alistair sighed in frustration and slumped against the wall. We didn't speak for a long time.

As the day waned into a deep, black night, I created a dreamscape for myself before I fell asleep. But for once, I didn't go chasing through some fantastical landscape. Instead, I pictured a place that I'd been to real life, a place that had given me much comfort the last time I thought I was going to die...

* * *

When I woke up, Alistair was staring at me curiously. "So it truly is a gift."

Blinking, I sat up and looked at him.

"Where did you go in your sleep?" he asked me.

"A park in London…" I told him. "It was the most beautiful place to watch sunsets."

"I wasn't sure if it was going to work," I confessed. "I've never built dreams from memory, only imagination. But it worked, after all."

"Have you ever tried it on anyone else?" Alistair said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"You know... Send someone else to sleep. Transmit a dream."

"Oh." I thought about it. "No. I didn't realize it was an option."

"It may or may not be. I don't know. It is your gift, after all. I was just wondering."

"Can I try it on you?" I asked him.

He shifted, uncomfortable. "What would that entail?" he asked warily.

"I don't know," I answered straightforwardly. "I've never done it before, so how would I know?"

"Right, right, no experience, you know nothing. I got it." Alistair sighed. "I've forgotten how tiring it is to be with a newborn. It's like Carlisle all over again."

Offended by his demeaning remark of how I "knew nothing" (no matter how true it might be), I shot back, "Not all of us are as old and worn-out as you, Alistair. Some of us still have the energy to _try new things._ "

Alistair rolled his eyes at me. "Fine," he acquiesced. "You can try it."

"But," he warned, "if you get too close, I'll bite."

"I didn't expect any less," I said, barely refraining from rolling my eyes back at him.

Alistair awkwardly folded his hands on his lap. Even though our situation was dire, I laughed to myself. _Alistair really is odd._

But as my laughter died away, I realized that I truly hadn't the foggiest of where to begin. _Do I have to send him to sleep first? How would I do that? And how do I construct a dreamscape for someone else? Even if I did, how would he receive it? I don't have telepathy..._

"You're supposed to be putting _me_ to sleep, not yourself again," Alistair said impatiently.

"Shush. I'm thinking."

"Oh, are you? Is that part of your 'trying new things' regime?" he muttered under his breath.

I shot him an annoyed glare.

Finally, I decided in my head: _Let's just try things._ I remembered running countless experiments at school. Whenever I didn't know where to start, I just mixed things. I had fond memories of setting off the fire alarm. Of course at the time, it had been horrifying and humiliating. But it had most certainly produced results. _Well, I'll have to be more careful now than then. I can't exactly allow myself to set Alistair's head on fire now, can I? I'll have to take it slow..._

I came over and sat next to Alistair. He positively flinched.

"Don't worry," I said wryly. " _I_ don't bite."

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my dream landscape. I visualized the park in London at sunset in one still frame. Then, I imagined that I was projecting the image from myself.

I peeked open an eye. Alistair was looking at me with a highly skeptical expression.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

_Hm... Maybe, instead of thinking about a still image, I should think about the dream as a whole, like I normally do when I construct dreams for myself._ I pictured the dream in all of its fluidity - the melding colors, the golden tint cast about of all of the autumn leaves, showcasing the vibrancy even in the season of death. I dreamt up the momentary whispers of wind that would blow gently over me, growing slightly stronger as the sun dipped below the horizon. Then, I conjured up a mental image of a glass orb, imagining that my entire dream was contained in that orb. I envisioned transferring the orb from my mind to Alistair's...

"How about that?" I asked him.

"Still nothing."

_Damn. Well, all right. Perhaps it's not the construction of the dream as it is the transference of it. After all, I can construct dreams for myself without any issue. But I've never given them to someone else._

"Okay, I'm going to try something else," I told him. He watched me warily as I got onto my knees so that I was slightly taller than him (since he was sitting).

I slowly began to reach my hand out towards him.

"What are you doing he asked?" Leaning back, he shied away from my hand.

"Just bear with me," I said, a bit impatiently.

He growled at me.

"Don't bite me, now," I warned him. I touched my fingertips to his forehead. He stiffened, but made no move to resist.

I took a deep breath. I re-visualized the moving structure of the dream of the sunset in the London park. I once again imagined everything from the spatiotemporal dimensions to the melancholy shimmering colors, easily willing all of these different aspects of perception and experience to harmonize for the creation of this dream. Then, I imagined my dream bleeding out from me, literally dripping down my fingertips, traveling from the universe of my mind to the universe of his mind.

However, I found his mind locked to me. His consciousness was altogether unwilling to let me in. I paused, shocked that I could _feel_ his consciousness. But I instinctively knew what to do. While still willing the experience of my mind to enter his mind, I simultaneously willed him to sleep, in order to receive my vision. _Relax. Let down your mental guards. Accept my dream._

Alistair's eyes slowly slipped shut. The tension in his body gradually dissipated as he relaxed. His breathing slowed. And though he remained sitting upright, he hunched over slightly, his head bowing down a little.

I stared at him in awe. _He's really sleeping._ I have to admit, it was nice to see Alistair relaxed for once.

_But the real question is: is he also dreaming?_ I reached out and gently shook his shoulder, waking him up.

Alistair's eyes opened. He instinctively snarled, not liking that I was touching his shoulder or that he couldn't remember when I'd gotten so close to him.

But then, when he remembered what had just happened and realized that he'd just woken up from sleeping, he looked as though he could hardly believe it.

"Well?" I said, nervous with anticipation.

"That's not how I remember London," he said.

I gasped in excitement. "Did you see the park? Did you really see it?"

Alistair glanced up at me, irritated. "You are being very loud."

"I'm sorry." Unable to help myself, I whisper-shouted. "So did it work?"

"You intended for me to see a sunset in a park in London, correct?"

"Yes!"

He glared at me.

Quickly, I dropped my voice again and muttered abashedly, "Yes..."

"Well," Alistair said, "that's what I saw."

I gaped in surprise. I looked down, marveling at my hands. _I transmitted a dream through them. I don't know if physical touch is required or functioning as some sort-of crutch, but still... that is amazing._

Alistair snorted. "You're happy even in this mess?"

"I can't believe it worked," I said, still awestruck.

"You know, you should work on that skill," he told me. "It could grow into an offensive attack."

I cocked my head at him, puzzled. "Offensive?"

"Yes. You touch someone and they fall asleep immediately. You could give them a blank dream, perhaps. It'll be like knocking them unconscious, but without the pain."

"Oh, I see." I thought it over. "I think I could do it, but I would need to practice."

"And I wouldn't want it to be a blank dream," I said. _It's uncomfortable to think that I could use my power to achieve the same effect as Alec's power..._

"Suit yourself," Alastair said nonchalantly. "Give them a dream of a bed of roses for all I care. The point is you could knock them out."

"A bed of roses would hurt, Alistair," I pointed out. "Think of all the thorns."

He scowled at me. "You know what I meant."

"You meant the soft part of flowers - the petals," I teased him, still running off the exuberance I felt at having succeeded. "Petals, Alistair. Say it with me - ' _petals_ '."

"Shut the hell up."

Suddenly, the unmistakable scent of freshly split human blood wafted down into the dungeons. Alistair's eyes grew brighter. I hissed loudly. For once, I was glad I was in a metal cage. I was thirsty and I didn't think I would be able to control myself. As it were, I found myself getting up thoughtlessly. I pressed myself against the bars, even though they burned me. It didn't matter. I hardly felt the burn on my skin compared to the burn in my throat...

"What's going on?" I muttered, gritting my teeth together. "Did a tourist trip and hurt themselves?"

Alistair snorted derisively. "So innocent. They're feeding. They do this every day. Lure in a group of tourists with the promise of seeing ancient ruins..."

"Well, they're ancient ruins, all right," Alistair deadpanned, clearly insulting Aro, Marcus, and Caius.

"Every... Every day?" I whispered in disbelief. The horror of the situation slapped me in the face, slapped me awake.

I shook my head and backed away from the bars.

Even though I was desperately thirsty, I was morally repulsed by what was happening.

"You're just like him," Alistair scoffed. "Both of you think it's the end of the world if a human dies."

He sighed and murmured, "Both of you get me in trouble with the Volturi."

I glanced back at him curiously. "Alistair, how did Carlisle involve you with the Volturi the first time?" This had been a question in my mind ever since Alistair mentioned that he was on the run from the Volturi because of Carlisle.

Alistair replied reluctantly. "It's a long story..."

"Maybe it will help distract us from our thirst," I said. I sat down besides him again. I couldn't quite ignore the parched feeling in my throat, but it helped to focus on something else.

Noticing my steadfast gaze on him, Alistair shrugged. "Carlisle brought together a coven of vampires. He calls them 'family'. One of his so-called family members, Edward, fell in love with a human girl."

"Did he expose us to her?" I wondered.

"Worse. He married her and had a child with her, all while she was still human."

My mouth fell open. "I didn't know that was possible."

"Human-vampire relationships don't work well long-term," Alistair agreed. "But it's true. It happened. She was changed after she gave birth, meaning her child was half-human, half-vampire."

"A hybrid child?"

"Yes," he said. "Only someone saw the child and thought it was a full vampire, an Immortal Child. We have a history of Immortal Children and the havoc they wreaked. They had no mental development, so they could never curb their thirst or temper. But they looked so angelic that whole covens would die trying to protect them. Battles raged."

"So the Volturi believed the Cullens had created an Immortal Child," I realized.

He nodded.

"But how do you enter the story?"

"I'm getting there," he said, annoyed. He probably hadn't talked so much in a long while. I shut up quickly.

Alistair screwed up his eyes, as though forcing himself through a particularly painful exercise as he recited: "The Cullens thought they could prove that their child was not immortal because in fact, she grew with each passing day. So they gathered witnesses to watch her change, in a way no true Immortal Child could. They asked us to testify that the child would not be a threat to the existence of vampires. I was one of the vampires who gathered."

"The Volturi came, but they came with a further purpose. They wanted to destroy the Cullen Coven, which had grown enough to challenge theirs. That is the kind-of respect Carlisle has earned from vampires around the world. The Volturi saw Carlisle as a threat and wanted to get rid of him. It didn't work, though. The Cullens' plan succeeded. I didn't know until later because I didn't stay."

"You didn't stay as a witness? You left them?"

"Of course I left them. I didn't want to get entangled with politics ever again."

"What? Were you a politician as a human?" I asked, laughing. I could not imagine a less stereotypically political-like character than Alistair. Alistair was the embodiment of a nomad - refusing to be caught under anyone's net of power, a far cry from wanting to gain that power for himself.

But Alistair didn't laugh. Instead, he said, "England in the 1300s was a bloody time for the aristocrats. But my father didn't need to go so far as to sell his whole family to a sadistic vampire."

"Oh." The heaviness of what he'd just told me suddenly weighed on me. I bit my lower lip, feeling guilty for having laughed. "I'm so sorry."

Alistair shrugged. "That was a long time ago. But even when I was a human, I knew I preferred the peace of solitude."

He looked at me. "You and Carlisle are just further proof of that."

"Alistair..." I said quietly, fully intending to express my regret and responsibility for landing him in such an unfortunate situation.

But before I could dredge up the words to confess, Alistair said, "I don't care anymore, though." He stared out at the empty space in front of me. "Deep down, I think I've always been waiting for my time to go. It will be a release from everything."


	10. Over the Cliffside

Shauna Black's POV

Dad decided to visit his sister, Rachel. Rachel was married to Paul Lahote, and they had two children: Rebecca, who was twenty-three years old, and Marc, who was seventeen years old. They lived on the reservation, not too far from us, but far enough to justify a drive.

Mom suggested that I go with Dad, pointing out that I hadn't spent any time with him since Grandpa passed away.

Truth be told, I didn't really feel the need to talk to Dad. Dad and I were alike in so many ways, and I knew that right now, his grief was too deep to be understood or shared by anyone. I also knew that Dad would come find me when it was time to talk.

However, I didn't want to upset Mom any more than I already had in the past couple weeks. At the last minute, I walked outside and tapped on Dad's car window. He rolled down the window.

"Shauna?"

"Mind if I come with you?"

"Sure, kid."

I walked around and got into the passenger's seat on the car.

Neither of us spoke during the car ride, but it was a peaceful quiet, the kind of quiet I hadn't had in a long time.

* * *

When we arrived at the Lahotes, Uncle Paul greeted Dad warmly and Aunt Rachel hugged him tightly. Aunt Rachel gave me a squeeze around my shoulders, too, and kissed my cheek. I followed the three of them in to see Rebecca sitting at a table in the living room. She was writing on a notepad. There were at least three open textbooks in front of her, all highlighted and annotated with her miniscule-sized writing.

Uncle Paul and Aunt Rachel led Dad over to the kitchen. They clearly wanted to have a private conversation.

Feeling a bit awkward, I approached Rebecca. "Hey," I said.

"Hi," she replied, not looking up from her work.

"How are you?" I asked, a little hesitant since it seemed like I was bothering her.

Without a single glance at me, she replied, "Mom's been in a right state, so it's been hard. But I'm not in a position to complain." The substance of her words were generous, but she said it all so dryly that it was hard to appreciate her consideration.

Feeling like I would be betraying Dad to say "yeah, same with Dad", I just settled for, "Yeah."

She didn't say anything else.

I sighed internally. It was always hard to talk to Rebecca.

"Are you working on something?" I asked, nodding towards her notepad.

"My thesis. I'm pursuing a Master's degree in electrical engineering."

"Wow, that's great."

Rebecca finally looked at me, but it was a sarcastic look, as though she knew I was treating her like a twelve-year-old instead of the twenty-three year old she was. Feeling like I was being cross-examined, I tried very hard not to blink.

Rebecca sighed, but she put down her pen. "Aren't you going to sit?" she asked me, nodding at the chair across from her.

I pulled out the chair from under the table, and sat down in it.

"You're - What? Freshman in college?" Rebecca asked me.

"Yes. I just got back from my first semester."

"And how was it? Was it razzle dazzle and all that? Everything you ever hoped for?" she asked, dryly, almost as though she was mocking me.

"I guess it was good. It was different, for sure," I replied, trying not to respond to her caustic demeanor. I did not take well to sarcasm, even if it wasn't personal. But I knew that Rebecca wasn't trying to get a rise out of me, so I told myself to resist the urge to give it right back to her.

But then, Rebecca's voice sounded slightly morose as she replied, "I know."

I watched her expression as I asked, "Do you miss it?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't know that I miss college, per se. I liked it at first, but as more and more people started to recognize me, it felt less exciting. It started to feel too much like La Push, where you can't walk out your front door without having to greet fifty people."

"You don't like the community here?" I asked, surprised. Rebecca had always been withdrawn, but I figured that that was part of her personality, and not because she specifically felt uncomfortable at La Push.

"Don't be silly," Rebecca said, shaking her head at me. "This is my family. Of course I _like_ the community. That's not what I mean..."

"Okay, then what are you getting at?"

Rebecca seemed to mull over her words. Finally, she asked me, "Billie, do you ever realize how... how close everyone is? Among our parents, I mean."

"Well, we're a tribe, aren't we?" I said, frowning. _Seriously, what is she getting at?_

"I _know_ that," Rebecca replied, rolling her eyes. "Again, that's not my point. I'm talking about how incredibly close all of our parents are. I mean, their generation is much closer than our generation is. And everyone their age is close - I mean, _everyone_. Sometimes when my Dad talks about your Dad, it's like they used to be best friends, to the point that they shared their deepest thoughts with each other. But then, look at them. They don't naturally get along that well, do they? I mean, they're friends, obviously, and since Mom is your Dad's sister, they see each other a lot. But I just don't understand how they know each other so well. And there's this strange loyalty... It's as though they would die for each other - but why?"

"Well, um, I guess you don't have to be friends with someone to... to want to protect them, right?" I struggled to make sense of her words, and I certainly didn't know to respond to it. I'd always found the tight-knight aspect of our community totally natural. In fact, I thought it was rather sad that Rebecca's generation, and my generation, had lost that closeness. But when I heard individual people's stories, like Gabe talking about his dreams of a musical career, I knew that it was only right that those individuals leave and pursue their dreams. But a part of me lamented that, because it meant that our community wasn't as tight anymore.

"Yes, but..." Rebecca sighed. "Never mind."

She stared out of the large backyard window behind me. "Maybe it just boils down to the fact that I don't want to be stuck here. Mom tried to leave the reservation when she was younger, you know. After Grandma Sarah died in a car accident, Mom went to Washington State. She hardly ever came back home, to La Push. Instead, she immersed herself in her studies. She studied computer engineering, and she was brilliant. But then, apparently, she just came back one summer and fell in love with Dad. Just like that. Don't you think that's strange? She didn't know Dad that well before she left..."

"People can just fall in love out of the blue," I said, shrugging. "I mean, it's not like you've always loved the people you end up falling for, right?"

"True," Rebecca murmured. She continued to gaze out of the window as she said softly, "But I'm going to be different. I'm going to make it out of here, and I'm not going to get distracted."

I gave her a strange, almost resentful look. _Why is she so against the sense of community here? Why can't she just be grateful for the incredible sense of support she's received? I mean, it's none of my business what she does with her life, but I really can't understand her._

"You know," I said finally, more than a little bit annoyed, "it's not a crime to fall in love with someone from the reservation, and it's not a bad thing to care about people based on the fact that you're a part of the same tribe."

Rebecca's eyes flashed over to me. Her brow furrowed. "Yeah, I know that, Billie. But I prefer people who are interested in me because they actually care, not just because I'm the daughter of some ancient Chief's daughter or whatever the hell I supposedly am."

Before I could respond, she snorted and said flippantly, "Well, never mind. Why should I expect sympathy from you? You're the flower child here, you fit right in, so what would you know about feeling stuck?"

Recalling the apprehension I'd felt on returning home from college, I bristled a little. "That's not true," I fought back.

Rebecca raised her eyebrow at me. "Oh, really? Then why are you being so defensive?"

At that moment, Aunt Rachel walked out of the kitchen. Behind here, the loud, roaring laughter of Uncle Paul, and the more subdued, but nonetheless deeply amused chuckles of Dad, rang out. I paused. I hadn't heard Dad laugh since Grandpa passed.

"You girls catching up?" she asked us sweetly. She put down a plate of fruit in front of us.

"Something like that," Rebecca said vaguely.

"Shauna, if you want any water or juice, just let me know," Aunt Rachel told me.

"I'm fine, but thanks, Aunt Rachel," I replied, trying to muster up a smile.

Aunt Rachel returned to the kitchen.

Rebecca and I were silent for the rest of the visit. She returned to her work, and I kept to myself, slowly thinking over what she'd said.

Finally, though, I could hear my Dad saying good-bye to Uncle Paul in the kitchen. I took a deep breath and then I looked squarely at Rebecca and said, "Listen, I'm sorry if I said anything rude to you. I wasn't trying to make you mad, or anything. I swear."

Rebecca looked up at me. "I know," she said, and her voice was softer than I'd expected it to be. "You could be right, Billie. Maybe I should stop blaming the community, and just admit that I prefer solitude."

Again, her words were very gracious, but I had no idea how to respond appropriately to that. Feeling rather dumb, I stammered, "So... So I take it you're not going to the summer festival Friday night?"

The summer festival was a big event where La Push offered cultural events all day. For us youngsters, it meant that we all got to hang out in one of the large log cabins afterwards and play games.

Rebecca rolled her eyes, instantly returning to her sarcastic self. "You can't live on the reservation and get away with not going to the summer festival," she said.

After a moment, I reluctantly nodded at her statement. She spoke the truth.

Dad came out of the kitchen just then. I hugged Aunt Rachel once more before following him out. Dad and I got back into our car. I was relieved to see that Dad seemed much lighter. When he'd gotten the car on a straight and quiet part of the road, he reached over and put his hand on the top of my head, the way he used to do when I was very young.

"Dad?" I said, peeking out from under his hand to look up at him.

Dad smiled. "That's how I used to react, too, back when Grandpa patted my head."

In a quiet voice, he murmured to himself, "I'd forgotten, but Rachel reminded me."

His hand slipped off of my head and he gently squeezed my shoulder before returning his hand to the wheel again.

With Dad feeling better, I, too, felt immensely lighter, as though a great weight had lifted from my shoulders. I gazed contentedly out of the window, watching the lush green scenery pass by with a newly hopeful heart.

* * *

It was Friday night, and per summer festival tradition, all of us kids packed ourselves into one of the old log cabins.

We huddled together excitedly in a large circle. I was sitting between Liam and Hannah.

"Shall we get started?" Quil asked, excited.

"Wait," Nadine said, pulling on her older brother's sleeve. "I think there's supposed to be a few more people coming..."

Almost as soon as she had finished her sentence, the cabin door opened, and a new group of people entered, including Theo, Rebecca, Marc, and Nico.

From besides me, Hannah jumped up and called out, "Theo!" She raced over to him and grabbing his arm, she tugged him over to us. Kitt, who had been sitting on Hannah's other side, was suddenly in view. Kitt gave me a somewhat embarrassed smile. I shrugged back at her. Then, my vision was obscured as Hannah sat Theo down between herself and me.

I shifted away from Theo, trying to give him space. Instinctively, he looked at me. Our eyes met for a short second before we awkwardly turned away from one another.

"All right! Everyone, settle down!" Quil called, as everybody jostled around, trying to find a comfortable spot in this now crammed circle of friends.

"What're we feeling up to?" Quil asked us all.

"Truth or dare!" Nico shouted out.

A ruckus of excited cheers, boos, and groans rang out at once. I grinned at all the noise.

Finally, it was settled that we would, in fact, play truth or dare.

It was a huge game, with all twenty or so of us kids huddled together.

With most us already friends or acquaintances with each other, we spared no mercy right from the very beginning, daring each other to reveal one another's deepest fears, kiss the person they thought was most attractive in the room, or jump off of the highest cliff. Nobody was willing to bare their soul, make a fool of themselves, or die in front of twenty people, so the numbers faded out rather quickly.

By the third round, only six of us were left. There was Nico, Quil, Kitt, Theo, Marc, and myself.

"Quil, I dare you to jump off the highest cliff," Nico challenged. "Right now. Go. We'll watch you."

Quil hesitated.

"That's such a stupid dare!" somebody else called out. "Pick something we can actually do!"

Quil thought it over. We'd all jumped off of the lower cliffs before. It was totally possible - just foolish, particularly because it was almost dark out and it could be difficult to see the incoming waves hitting up against the rocky cliffs. If you didn't time it right, the waves could keep you under for a long time.

"C'mon, make up your mind," Nico said. "Three, two, one… You're done, Quil."

Quil huffed a little. "Man, that's ridiculous. You wouldn't do it if we dared you to."

"Yeah, but no one has dared me too," Nico retorted. "Well, not yet, and we have a whole 'nother round to go before it's my turn again."

Then, Nico turned to Theo. "All right, Theo. Your turn."

"Dare," Theo replied immediately. He hadn't picked a truth yet.

"I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in the room," Nico smirked.

Theo sighed wearily. He slowly looked around the room. Most of the girls waited hopefully, either because they found him attractive or because they wanted to be called out as the prettiest. A few girls were determinedly looking away or even pulling back. Theo grimaced, obviously reluctant. Then, Hannah subtly shifted closer to him.

"Aw, hell," Quil scowled besides us. "I don't want my little sister to see this!"

"Quil, I'm fourteen," Nadia scowled back. All of a sudden, they looked remarkably alike.

"Yeah, exactly," Quil shot back. "You're too young!"

"Oh, please." Nadia rolled her eyes. "It's not like I've never kissed a guy before."

"Wait, seriously?"

Everybody tuned into this sibling argument, more than a little amused.

"Who?" Quil demanded. "He's from the rez, isn't it?"

Before Nadine could say anything, Quil jumped to his feet and shouted, "All right! Which one of you fuckers kissed my sister?"

All of the boys turned their faces away, but one made the mistake of shifting his body too. I recognized the boy. He was fourteen and lived a bit further down the beach. His name was Isaiah.

"You!" Quil thundered.

"Quil!" Nadine shouted. She tried to stop her brother, but he was too strong for her.

"You're coming outside," Quil said through gritted teeth. He grabbed the poor boy, who was blushing a brilliant red.

"Quil, stop! Let him go!" Nadine shrieked and followed them outside.

"I should probably go stop them," Liam muttered. He got to his feet and left.

Laughter burst out in the cabin. Theo took advantage of the distraction to turn around and kiss Hannah.

There was a gasp from those who saw, but when Hannah tried to slide her arms around his neck, Theo backed off and gently held her arms down.

He turned back to Nico. "There, I did it."

Nico nodded. "All right, good. So you're still in the game."

I sighed and fidgeted, starting to get bored. I quietly waited for Theo to pick one of the remaining four.

When Theo turned to me and asked, "Truth or Dare?", I started a little. Neither of us had picked each other all night. In fact, I thought it was a mutually understood agreement not to pick each other. Nothing good ever came out of Theo and me doing something together, especially not something competitive. We brought out the worst in each other, and we knew it.

_But that doesn't mean I'm going to lose to him - or anyone, for that matter._

"Dare," I said. Like Theo, I hadn't picked anything but dare, either. I prided myself on picking only dares - and completing them all. But to be honest, there was another reason as well. _T_ _here's a very big secret I have to protect about our tribe... And I promised Uncle Seth I would never reveal it._

"I dare you to use _this_ ," Theo pulled out a small knife and pulled the blade out from the handle. It was a carving knife, the kind a lot of people carried around on our reservation. "And do the hand trick," he said. I knew he was referring to the so-called "hand trick" where you stab between your fingers. We used to do it all the time in middle school, using ballpoint pens and poking them as fast as we could between our fingers. It drove our teachers crazy.

"I won't take points off for being slow, as long as you're not too slow," Theo told me. "But there's got to be ticks in the wood or it doesn't count."

"Fine," I said and held my hand out.

He hesitated, raising an eyebrow at me. "You could cut your fingers," he warned. I knew he was telling me to forfeit the game.

I might have, if it was anyone else but him. As it was, I snorted loudly. "Yeah, I get that. Flesh doesn't hold up too well to sharp objects. We learned that in kindergarten. Now, pass the knife."

"Billie, have you lost your mind?" An irritated, but worried voice sounded from outside of the circle. We all looked up to see Rebecca standing over the kids on the other side of the circle. Her arms were crossed. "This is just a game, a _stupid_ game."

"I'm going to have to agree with my sister on this one," Marc said, backing her up. "This doesn't seem like such a good idea."

"It's a fucking horrible idea," Rebecca said flatly.

Theo kept his gaze on me. "Backing out?" he asked me.

Instead, I held out my hand. "Pass the knife," I repeated firmly.

Theo finally passed over the knife.

I placed one hand against the floor and brought the knife up with my other.

Hannah gripped Theo's arm tightly as she watched me with wide eyes, waiting to see if I would really do it or not.

I held my breath to still my body. Then, I went for it. The knife went _thunk_ eleven times, pegging into the wood. Thankfully, my fingers remained intact. I did nick the inside of my fourth finger but I didn't react and as soon as it was over, I quickly closed my hand in a fist to stop any blood from dripping.

People let out relieved sighs. Some even clapped. Rebecca gave a wholly unimpressed snort and retreated back further outside of the circle.

I handed the knife back to Theo, who accepted it without comment.

I turned to Kitt and challenged her. She picked "truth," which was smart, as she knew I wasn't going to ask anything too mean. I had a bit of a soft spot for Kitt. She had the type of personality that I'd always wished I'd had - bright, easy-going, and funny.

She turned to Marc and dared him to jump over the roaring fire in the fire pit. It only took Marc one look at Rebecca's face for him to bow out gracefully. Then, Kitt challenged Nico to "live up to his own dare" and "jump off the highest cliff."

"No way," Nico said, raising his hands quickly in surrender. "I only said that dare because I hoped it would knock everybody else night. Maybe I'd do it during the day, but not now."

Kitt turned to me with a grin on her face. "Ready, Billie?" she asked me.

"Hit me with a dare," I told her.

"Take off your shirt."

I stared at her.

"Come on," she said smugly, smiling teasingly at me.

I shook my head at her. "I should have knocked you out in the last round," I muttered.

"Yes, you should've. You went way too easy on me," Kitt acknowledged, now laughing.

I sighed, and then I reached down and pulled off my shirt.

Girls squealed and boys whistled. I didn't spare them a thought as I turned back to Theo.

"Dare," he said, before I even asked.

With that, a war between us started. Kitt dropped out in the next round, on Theo's dare.

Finally, it was just Theo and me.

People were starting to get bored of watching and were talking amongst themselves. Some of them left. As they made their way out, Quil, Nadine, Liam, and Isaiah returned. Quil and Nadine looked disgusted at each other and Liam looked sheepish. Isaiah looked traumatized, the poor kid.

However, between Theo and me, the game went on.

"Truth or dare?" Theo asked me. His voice was bolder than before. He no longer seemed bored.

Neither was I. I was going to win.

"Dare," I answered. "And stop asking me. You already know my answer, and I already know yours."

We went back and forth, doing increasingly more dangerous and dumber things.

A couple rounds later, the longer half of my hair was on the floor.

Theo put his hand in his face. "You weren't supposed to actually do that one, Billie," he groaned.

"Just stop. Before it gets worse for both of us," he muttered to me.

"Then lose," I whispered back.

He sighed. "What's my dare now?"

I cast my gaze around, looking for an idea for another dare. I noticed that the fire had just about died out now, but the coals were still burning brightly.

"Walk across the coals," I dared him, gesturing towards the firepit.

"You want me to walk on fire?" he said skeptically.

_No, I want you to give up, you ass._ I shrugged, trying to look casual. "Up to you."

Theo got to his feet. Then, he walked down to the fire pit.

"Theo?" Quil called to him, worried.

But Theo had already stepped forward. With quick, light steps, he made his way across. He grimaced, but gave no other indication of his pain as he walked back and sat down in front of me again.

Finally, Theo growled at me, "All right. Now, back out before this gets out of hand."

"You back out," I retorted.

"Is this _ever_ going to end?" Rebecca asked, highly annoyed. "I feel like I've been forced to watch all possible horrible life decisions playing out in the short span of ten minutes!"

"Listen, how about we give you both the same dare and make it into a contest?" Nico suggested. "You get the same dare, and whoever does it faster is the winner."

"What dare?" I said, raising my eyebrow at him.

Nico grinned. "The dare that no one's done yet, my original dare - cliff diving, of course."

_Cliff diving? Now? It's getting pretty dark. It would be risky to try to battle the ocean now. More than risky - honestly, just plain stupid._

Theo and I looked at each other. At almost the exact same time, we said firmly, "Fine."

"Quil," Nadine blurted out, "you're not going to let them do it, are you? It's so dark outside..."

Quil looked between me and Theo. "I don't think I'm in a position to stop them anymore, honestly," he said.

"All right! First one to swim back to the beach after jumping wins!" Nico yelled at us. "We'll be waiting for you two on the shore." Then he and the others leapt to their feet and ran out of the cabin. Just outside the cabin, there was a group of kids who had left the truth or dare game early, and were now playing their own game. When Nico and the others raced out, they called out, "Hey! What's going on?"

A chorus of voices yelled back, "Theo and Billie are jumping off the highest cliff! Come watch!"

Whooping and cheering, everybody made for the beach- the _safe_ way.

I turned to Theo and glared. "Really great job, Theo," I said, frustrated. "This is exactly what I had planned for this evening."

Theo shook his head at me. "I told you to stop before it got out of hand."

As we left the cabin together, I accused, "This is not just _my_ fault. If you wanted to stop the game so badly, all you had to do was refuse any one of my eight dares."

"Your dares were all shit," Theo replied as we grudgingly made our way up the road towards the highest cliff. "I couldn't _not_ do them. I would have surrendered if you'd come up with a halfway decent dare that wouldn't require me to give up my dignity to refuse."

We bickered all the way up the mountain.

Suddenly, he paused in our heated back-and-forth to say, "You like being naked that much?"

"What?" I said, confused.

He nodded at me. I had forgotten my shirt back in the cabin. Thankfully, I was still wearing my sports bra.

_That's odd,_ I thought. _I don't feel cold._

"I wanted something dry to change into," I made up defensively, but I felt embarrassed. _How the hell did I forget that I was shirtless?_

"Well, we're here," he said.

We stepped out between the trees and stood at the edge of the cliff. We both looked down at the crashing black waves beneath us. I could just make out the spray of white foam thrown up by the churning ocean.

I shook my head slowly. "This is insane."

"Better do it before it gets any darker," Theo said grimly. "I don't fancy battling those waves when I can't see."

He was right. It wasn't the fall that was the true danger. The real danger was that we were going to end up in deep, cold, and rough water with barely any air in our lungs and no visibility with which to spot the incoming waves.

"Back out," Theo told me. "I'll go first. Then you don't have to."

"No!" I protested. "I'm not going to lose."

"There's no point in jumping," Theo told me. "I'll reach the shore faster than you."

"Never know until you try," I said, trying not to let the anxiety creep into my voice.

Then, gripping my hands into fists, I raced forward first.

"What the -?" I heard Theo shout. "Billie, don't actually -!"

But it was too late.

I leapt off the edge. For a moment, I felt totally weightless, just free-floating, and then I started to fall. I held back a scream and focused on trying to hold onto my breath.

Then, I hit the water. Thankfully, I managed to keep my feet together so that I slipped into the water without injuring myself on impact. But as I plunged deep into the waters, I suddenly found myself in an entirely different world. Ghostly white waves crashed above me, and the pitch-black abyss of the mysterious ocean stretched out in front of and below me. It was undeniably a frightening world. I kept repeating to myself to stay calm. I had to get back to the surface, but I had to time it right. I floated towards the surface slowly, watching the waves roll like thunder over me.

_Now!_ I kicked hard and broke out of the water. I gasped for breath and then forced myself to dive under before the next wave could take me. I managed to swim below the rolling wave and swim further out to the ocean and away from the rocks, where the waves were much calmer.

Now that I was treading water, I hurriedly looked for Theo. "Theo?" I called out. _Where is he? Maybe he didn't jump._

I tried to look up towards the cliff, but the towering rock face meant that there was no chance in hell that I could see anything at the top of the cliffside.

There was silence.

"Theo?" I said again, nervously. _He has to be all right. Theo's completely capable of taking care of himself. Right?_

But the anxiety pooled in my mind like an oil spill, radiating worry. _What if he's still caught beneath the waves? I can't see him at all if that's the case._

_"Theo!"_ I yelled loudly, really starting to panic.

"Here! Billie!" I heard splashing behind me.

I turned to see that Theo had actually been a ways ahead of me. Though he had jumped slightly later than me, he had broken out of the waves faster and had gotten to the calmer waters before me. He must have been waiting for me to appear, or turned back when he heard me shouting.

He swam quickly towards me, not stopping until he was right besides me. "I'm here," he assured me. "I'm right here."

He caught a glimpse of my panicked expression.

"You all right?" he asked me. He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder as well as he could (given the fact that we were both treading water).

But I ignored his question and said, almost angrily, "Shit, Theo! I thought I lost you for a second."

"What are you talking about? _I_ was waiting on _you_ ," he retorted. "You took forever to break out of the waves."

I shoved his hand off of my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get to shore," I muttered.

Theo nodded. Then, he disappeared into the water, only to appear a few feet away. He began to swim in earnest, taking rapid, powerful strokes towards the shore.

I took a deep breath and followed him. To my disgruntlement, Theo was right: He was a much faster swimmer than me.

By the time I was splashing through the waist-high ocean water, he was already far up on shore, surrounded by a cheering and adoring crowd.

"Billie!" Liam ran over to me. "You all right?"

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms to cover myself.

"You're cold, right? You want my sweater?" Liam asked me.

"No, I'm not… cold." I paused, as I realized how true this was. _Is this because I'm a werewolf now? What if it's not just advanced healing? What if my entire body is changing? My core body temperature itself might be consistently higher than before..._ I felt strange thinking that my being a werewolf wasn't just about phasing into a wolf - it also was changing me as a person, from inside out.

"Billie?" Liam said worriedly, trying to study my face. "Are you feeling sick? Did you swallow a lot of ocean water?"

"I'm all right," I reassured. "Come on. I want to go back and get my shirt."

"Here," Quil suddenly appeared before us. He stripped off his shirt and handed it to me.

"Its fine, Quil," I said, shaking my head.

But Quil winked at me. "Gives me an excuse to show off."

"But I expect that back- along with my sweats!" he warned, before he ran ahead with Theo and Nico.

I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. Besides me, Liam coughed a little. Though he walked back with me, his gaze lingered on Quil's back for the entire duration of our walk back to the cabin.

* * *

When we got back, I pulled on my shirt as Nico announced, "The winner of the summer festival truth or dare game is Theo Uley!"

People laughed as they clapped and whooped.

Theo just shook his head apathetically. "This is the stupidest game I've ever played," he said. "I'm not proud to be a winner."

_What an arrogant asshole. He literally had ever opportunity to back out. Whatever._ I turned to Liam, Quil, and Kitt. "I'm going back home to shower," I told them. "Thanks for a fun night. I'll see you guys later."

The three of them chorused good-byes behind me as I left. Just behind them, I swear I heard Nico say to Theo, "Hey, are you all right? You're burning up."

"Yeah," Theo said dismissively. "Just feels hot after being in the water."


	11. The Black Knight

Shauna Black's POV 

I was walking along the road alone, on my way home from the summer festival. About halfway down the hill, I caught that _scent_ again... I quickly looked behind me. No one was coming down the hill after me. Everyone was still at the summer festival.

Making a snap decision, I stepped off of the road and entered the forest. I stripped off my shirt and pants, hanging them on a tree branch. Then, closing my eyes and concentrating, I transformed into my wolf form. This time, since I wasn't panicking, I felt much more in control of both the phasing itself and of being in my wolf form.

I could actually appreciate my heightened senses. And that sweet, sickly scent was so sharp now that it was almost like a visible trail to me. I could so clearly smell where the creature had been, where it had _gone_. I took off through the forest, marveling at how my paws sprung off the ground. I was _made_ to run. I whipped between trees with ease. Not only were my legs strong, but my body was quick, too.

I flew through the forest after the vampire's scent. After only a few minutes of hard chasing, I could see a figure, cloaked in all black, running ahead of me. The figure shot a quick look over her shoulder at me, and in that split second, I caught a glimpse of the creature's pale face. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of me, a silver-white werewolf, bounding after her. With a loud hiss, she began to run more quickly.

 _Get her,_ my instinct urged. With a loud snarl, I jumped through the air and made a snatch for her.

Anticipating my attack, she launched herself into a backwards flip, flipping right over me. As soon as my paws hit the ground, I twisted around to face her.

We had a stand-off, crouching down against each other in a circle.

The vampire hissed and licked her lips. I could tell that she was calculating moves in her head- and at a rapid speed.

I growled. She was experienced, then. My mind was empty. I couldn't think of any advantages I might have. I was relying on sheer instinct.

She snapped first, executing her plan. She jumped high into the air, leaping towards me. When I leapt into the air to meet her, I did exactly as she predicted. I growled as her arms got around me. She squeezed her arms and I winced as I felt my bones start to fracture. I managed to roll my body around in mid-air, slipping out of her deadly grasp. She grinned at me in satisfaction, knowing that her experience gave her the upper hand.

We circled off again, but this time, I was much more wary. I had learned the first rule of fighting vampires: _Don't let them get their arms around you._

She made for me again. Instead of going straight at her, I leapt to the side this time. But this, too, she predicted. She stayed right with me. When I tried to fall back further, I was too slow and she managed to slam me into the ground. I snarled as she wrestled me, pinning me down. I felt her hands trying to find my joints - to break them. I writhed under her. She growled. Just then, she found my knee joint. She grabbed at it and started to twist my front leg. I started to yelp when, suddenly - an enormous black wolf came flying out of nowhere, and tackled the vampire off of me onto the ground.

The vampire shrieked in panic. The wolf snarled and pressed his heavy, large paws into her small shoulders quickly. This wolf was absolutely huge, and pure black in color. It's body bristled all over with energy, translating into brute strength. Breathing heavily, I forced myself onto my four legs again. Back on my feet, I now had a better view of the fight. The vampire was still trying furiously to escape this new wolf, attempting to shove his paws off of her, but he stood strong.

I hesitated. _How strange..._ I knew right away that this wolf was a "him". In fact, I could tell that this wolf was none other than- _Theo._

 _What? Who called me?_ Startled, the black wolf yelped and reared on his hind legs.

The vampire quickly took advantage of the opening. She slipped out from under him at first chance and sprinted away madly to save her life.

 _You're Theo,_ I realized, astonished.

He bared his teeth at me, snarling. _What's happening? What the hell is happening to me?_ I could sense his panic mounting.

 _Theo, wait-!_ I stepped forward towards him, trying to get him to calm down.

 _Don't!_ He growled loudly and snapped at me.

Frustrated, I snapped back at him. I couldn't help it. Why the hell was he challenging me when I was trying to help him?

 _This is madness!_ He shouted in his head.

_Theo, listen._

_Get out of my head!_ He snarled.

I finally lost my patience. I growled and lunged forward, intending to give him a light warning bite.

But Theo snapped. He was on such high alert, that he instinctively tried to slam into me. I barely managed to dodge him, step-siding hurriedly away from him, while a short, irritated whine escaped my snout. Thankfully, not only were my reflexes quicker than his, but my smaller size made it easier for me to maneuver around him. However, he was incredibly powerful and if he managed to catch me, I was practically done for.

Just as I thought that, he did, in fact, manage to catch me. Using his snout, he half-pushed and half-picked me up to slam me against the nearest tree.

I whimpered and pawed at him. _T_ _heo, what the hell are you attacking me for?_ I shouted at him. _It's me, you fool! Billie!_

Theo let out a surprised yelp and dropped me.

I landed in an unceremonious heap on the ground. I sprang onto all four legs immediately and growled at him, more than a little annoyed.

 _Billie? Is that really you?_ He thought, confused. _I thought I recognized your scent and voice. But this… Your form… My form…!_

 _Theo, calm down for a second._ Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I slowly sat down on my haunches. Psychologically, it was not an easy move. Every atom of my body wanted to challenge him, but I knew I had to get him to calm down first.

The black wolf stared at me distrustfully, pacing back and forth before me a couple times before finally sitting down, facing me. His tail flickered uneasily. _This can't be real,_ he thought.

 _It is. This is who we are,_ I told him.

_What do you mean?_

_Remember the legends?_ I reminded him. _The Quileutes are Shape-shifters. And we're direct descendants of Taha Aki, the original Shape-shifter._

_Shape-shifter means this…? Werewolf?_

_Yes. Because of the enemies our ancestors had to face and the enemies we face, we borrowed from the power of the wolves. They are our Spirit Animals. We phase into wolf form._

_I guessed,_ he thought heavily. _I guessed that that creature was a vampire. Are they the 'Cold Ones' that our legends warn of?_

I nodded my wolf head.

 _But what is this… telepathy?_ Theo asked. _How are you in my mind? How am I in yours?_

 _We're… a pack._ I winced and he cringed too.

Theo paused. Then, he asked, I _f the legends are true, then is everyone…?_

 _No,_ I replied. _I mean, Uncle Seth told me that once, there was a whole coven of vampires living here and a lot of the tribe transformed. But it's been a long time since those vampires disappeared. Right now,_ _it's just... us._

At this, I couldn't help but sigh. My tail drooped with unhappiness. _Of all people, why him?_

 _Hey,_ he thought defensively.

I shook my head a little, trying to get rid of my thoughts. _Right. We can hear each other's thoughts. Wow, that's going to get old really quickly, isn't it?_

 _I can hear that after-commentary, too,_ Theo thought wryly. But he moved on, instead asking, _And since when have you...?_

_After Grandpa passed away._

_Right. That makes sense. When I found you in the forest._ He blinked his dark wolf eyes and looked away. I could see him scrambling not to think.

 _What happened to the coven of vampires? Did we get rid of them?_ Theo questioned. _Is that female vampire associated with the old coven?_

 _I don't know. Nobody told me. I don't think I can drop this news on Dad right now and Mom is upset with me._ My ears drooped dejectedly. _Maybe Mr. Uley- I mean, your dad, will be more open with you._

Theo paused. _You mean my dad was a wolf, too?_

_Yeah. But he stopped, like my parents did, like everyone did, in order to get their lives back in order and move on._

_Then why are we transforming again? I mean, why the hell is that leech on our territory right now?_

It was my turn to be uneasy. _I don't know. She's been around,_ I admitted.

I hesitated. _How did you know?_ I wondered. _How did you end up here?_

I could see Theo thinking, replaying his memories. Finally, he explained, _I left the cabin shortly after you. I meant to go home. Then, I smelled this hideous, sickly sweet scent. When I stepped into the woods to follow it, I saw your clothes hung on some branches. Thinking you were in trouble, I ran deeper into the forest. Then, I saw the vampire and before I could think through it, I felt my body transform. A split second later, I found myself in wolf form and fighting a vampire._ He shook his head a little in disbelief. Then, he paused before he added, _I wasn't thinking clearly so I didn't recognize you as you. But I think I attacked the vampire so aggressively because I intuitively recognized your scent. You know, as someone familiar._

I nodded. _Well, I can't say I'm not thankful for your help. I think she nearly had me there._ I shuddered.

Theo watched me for a moment. Then, he said quietly, _We should head back. It's pretty late now. Most people have gone home already._

 _Do you think you can transform back?_ I asked him. _I mean, do you feel calm enough to phase back?_

 _Yeah,_ Theo replied simply.

I was a bit taken aback by how calm he was. The first time I had phased, I had run around for hours in my wolf form, unable to calm my heartbeat down enough to turn back into a human. But here Theo was, a mere fifteen minutes later, totally level-headed and ready to transform back into his human self. _How the hell is he so straightforward with everything?_ I said, grumbling to myself. _It's so irritating._

 _Billie,_ Theo sighed wearily, _I can hear you._

 _Okay, okay,_ I griped. _Come on, then. The sooner you and I get out of each other's heads, the better._

With that, we both took off through the woods. I ran behind the tree where I'd hung my clothes before I transformed. I phased back into my human self and pulled my clothes on.

* * *

When I stepped out from behind the tree, I guffawed.

"Aw, shit," Theo grumbled, realizing he'd ripped all his clothes in his first transformation. He hurriedly turned away from me and cupped his hands around his crotch.

I didn't hold back whatsoever. I laughed so hard that I doubled over and almost cried.

"You like being naked that much?" I teased him, throwing his own words back at him.

"Shut the hell up," he muttered.

Still wheezing out a few more highly amused giggles, I threw him Quil's shirt, which I no longer needed because I had mine. It was more than a little tight on Theo's built frame, but it was better than nothing.

"You lead," he commanded. He was determinedly holding down the shirt as far as it would possibly stretch - in fact, maybe more, the poor thing was going to rip.

"Why? I swear I won't stare at your butt," I said, lifting my eyebrow at him. "What was it you said to my mom? 'No offense, but I'm not interested in your daughter.' Well, same here."

"Billie, just fucking lead," Theo growled.

With a satisfied smile, I acquiesced, stepping in front of him and leading the way out of the forest.

Thankfully, the roads were deserted as we made our way down to the houses along the beach.

"I guess I understand why you never picked 'truth'," Theo murmured from behind me.

"Yeah, not all of us are show-offs," I replied. But inside, I was wondering why Theo hadn't picked truth. _What is he scared of having to reveal?_ However, I had no real intention of getting to know Theo, so I kept my mouth shut.

We parted ways soon enough, each heading to our separate homes without so much as a goodbye.

* * *

As I lay in bed that night, I thought about Theo's question: " _Why are we transforming again? I mean, why the hell is that leech on our territory right now?"_

I remembered Mom's expression when she realized I had transformed. It had been so fearful and unexpectedly vulnerable. And I'd only told her about my phasing. I hadn't even told her about the vampire.

I suddenly recalled what Uncle Seth had said to me: _"Don't go spreading this information around. When we made the decision as a pack, it was to ensure that the whole tribe would continue living, striving for the future instead of being caught up in the past. Reopening past wounds like this… It wouldn't help the community one bit."_

A worry arose in my mind. _What if Theo tells his dad about the vampire? Sam Uley is an Elder. If Theo tells him what happens, Sam might have a duty to report about the vampire (and Theo's and my phasing) to the rest of the tribe. At the very least, he'd tell the other Elders - Grandma Sue and Dad. That would reopen those exact wounds of the past that Uncle Seth was warning about and send everyone in a frenzy. What if Mom couldn't control herself and transformed again? With my transformation, I think that Mom just believes that it was a fluke - that I phased because Grandpa's death was too much to handle. But if she knows that Theo also transformed and that there's a vampire lurking around the reservation, she might feel like she has to phase again, to protect me and the others._

Her worried expression arose in my mind again. _She looked like having to phase again would be the equivalent of sending her straight to hell. I can't let her phase again, which means that I can't let her, or Dad, know what's going on - especially about the vampire._

* * *

 _Thump, thump, thump._ I anxiously paced back and forth in front of the Uleys' house. _Why isn't anyone opening the door?_

I pounded on the front door again. It opened.

In one, messy rush, I blurted out, "Hi, Mr. Uley. I'm so sorry. But I need to speak to your son."

"Shauna?" Sam Uley looked at me through a veil of sleep. He was utterly confused.

"Yes. Where's Theo?"

"Can't this wait?" Sam asked me, frowning a little.

_What can I say to him? Yes, I can wait. But please don't talk to your son until I do? That's completely ridiculous._

"No, I'm sorry," I sighed. "But I really need to speak to him now."

Putting on what I thought of as my "serious adult" face, I said firmly, "It's _very_ important."

Mr. Uley stared at me, studying me. Finally, he said, "I'll go get him."

"Thanks," I said, and turned away. I waited on the edge of the front porch, staring out at the beach.

Theo walked out, eyes squinting against the first rays of dawn. His hair was messy and he was pulling on a hoodie. Then, he stopped, and took it off. I knew why. His body temperature ran high now. _Like me. Because we're both werewolves - werewolves of the same pack, at that._

"Billie?" he said, his voice hoarse with sleep. "What's going on?"

"Can we talk?" I asked him.

Theo pushed his hair back with his hand, but it just fell forward anyways. He sighed. "Well, yeah, you already got me up."

I didn't want to risk talking about it on the porch. I jerked my head towards the beach and said, "Come with me."

Theo looked at me tiredly, not understanding why we had to go somewhere else.

I hesitated, trying to find a way to keep it appropriately vague. "I wanted to talk to you about…"

My mind ran through various phrases: _our transformations, our werewolf selves, our pack, us… us?_

"...what happened last night," I finished awkwardly.

Thankfully, Theo got it right away. "Oh," he said. "Yeah, sure."

I walked off the porch and towards the beach. He followed me.

* * *

The beach was mostly deserted, save for a few people jogging alongside the path. Wanting to avoid any chance of being overheard, I walked further in towards the ocean until I came upon an old log about thirty yards from the waves, washed up from who knows where.

Theo, who up until that point, was either being incredibly patient or was too asleep to care how far he was walking, finally said, "All right. Can you tell me what's going on before we walk into the ocean?"

Still walking forward, I mentally steeled myself for the worst possible answer.

"Billie," Theo called out. He sounded impatient.

 _All right. Ask him. You need to know. You can deal with whatever happens later._ I turned around so abruptly that Theo nearly walked straight into me. As it was, he bumped up against me, accidentally pushing me back a little. He instinctively reached out to steady me when I fell back a step, but I hardly noticed as I finally said aloud the plea that had been on a vicious loop in my brain all night: " _Please_ tell me you didn't say anything to your dad last night about the vampire, or about us phasing into wolves."

"I didn't," Theo answered. "Both him and my mom had fallen asleep by the time I came back home - which was lucky, really, seeing as I came back without any pants on."

Relief, as sharp and clear as a gust of cold wind, passed through me. Falling backwards, I slumped down against the log.

But then, Theo said, "I'll tell them today."

"No," I protested, standing back up immediately to face him again. "No, you can't."

Theo looked at me, confusion etched across his face. "Why not?" he countered. "The Elders should know."

"Theo, you can't tell anyone about this," I insisted. "Not the Elders, not your friends, not anyone."

"Well, of course I'm not going to go around telling random people," Theo said, frowning. "But from what you told me last night, our Elders have experience with this."

"Exactly," I pressed, my frustration breaking through. "There's a history behind all of this and even though I'm not sure what it is, I think it was painful for a lot of people."

"Well, if they've gone through it before, they can help us to prevent it this time," Theo said, as though it were a simple matter of addition and subtraction.

My mother's face ran through my head again. I wanted to find the words to tell Theo why remaining silent was so important, but I didn't know how to articulate something like this. Still, I tried. "My mom… when she figured out I'd transformed… I've never seen her look that way before," I said, dropping my eyes to the sand at our feet. "What if we tell them about the vampire and she feels like she has to phase again?"

Theo studied me. Then, he said in a firm voice, "I don't think you're trying to protect the community. Secrecy always causes rifts among people. I think you're just trying to protect your family."

Seeing me open my mouth to protest, he held up his hands and said, "That's not a criticism. Just don't expect me to follow along."

He started to turn away but I continued, "It's not just my Mom, though I'd be lying if I said my family wasn't my priority. Uncle Seth told me… When they decided to stop phasing, they decided as a pack. They decided that they were all going to stop transforming together in order that this community stay intact and have a chance to move on. To let go of their past."

Theo turned around and listened to what I was saying, though his face remained highly skeptical. I hated that look, but I knew I needed him on my side, at least for now. This was my chance to persuade him.

"Transforming… It does something to our human bodies, too. Our temperatures go up. We heal faster. We get stronger. But we also… don't age. It's like our bodies are frozen in time." I stared up at Theo with a hard, determined gaze. "It can't have been easy for them to stop phasing. They had to calm themselves down, like you and I had to the first time we phased. They had to do it for an extended period of time. They probably had to help each other a lot… Do you want to open up all of those past insecurities? They'll be forced to stop aging _again_."

Theo was quiet for a long moment, thinking it over. Finally, he said, "Let's try to catch this vampire between the two of us, then. Tonight. We'll figure out what to do from there."

"But," he warned, "if this gets out of hand, I won't hesitate in alerting the Elders. They need to know. This affects everyone."

I nodded. I knew that was the best compromise I could get from Theo.

We started to walk back towards Theo's house.

"Doesn't your mom already know, though?" Theo asked me. "You said she knows you transformed. She must have guessed the trigger."

"I told her I was triggered by my grandfather dying," I explained quietly. "She agreed that that was enough."

Theo didn't reply, and we looked away from each other.

* * *

When we got to the path just in front of his house, Theo said, "You do realize you came by my house at five thirty in the morning?"

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't really look at the time."

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked me, peering over at me. His eyes traced the dark circles under my eyes. He watched me shrug.

Theo shook his head. "Go get some sleep before tonight."

Before I could say anything, he said, "I'm going to." Then, he left, going back inside his house to catch a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

However, upon returning home, I continued to stay up. I was exhausted from staying up all night, but I stayed awake until it was an acceptable time to call Benjamin. He was supposed to come down today.

But if a _vampire_ – I shuddered at the thought – was around, I couldn't have Benjamin coming down to visit me right now. He had to stay away from the area until Theo and I sorted it out. Since Theo and I were going after the vampire tonight, I hoped that a one-day delay would be sufficient.

The clock hands finally moved to ten o'clock. I called Benjamin.

"Hey, good timing!" he chirped brightly as soon as he picked up the phone. "I've just packed all my stuff. I'm bringing my laptop this time. Anyways, I'm about to head out. Want me to pick up something for you on the way?"

"Wait, Ben, listen to me," I said.

"One second. Let me just…"

I paused and waited for Benjamin to come back to his cellphone.

"All right, door locked-"

"Ben, wait, please don't lock the door," I told him. "Not yet, anyways."

There was a beat of silence, and then he asked, "What d'you mean?"

"You can't come down," I replied firmly. "There's something going on today, and we can't have anybody come onto the reservation."

"You blocked off the entire reservation?" Benjamin said, surprised. "That sounds bad."

"Well, no, but I'm just – I don't want to put you in any trouble."

"Trouble? Is this because you're worried about my research?" Benjamin asked, trying to catch on. "Shauna, I'm balancing everything just fine. I can still do my work, but I just want to come be with you."

"I want to be with you too, but you can't come down today, all right? I'll call you after tonight, and maybe you could come down tomorrow, instead," I pushed back.

"You sound odd," Benjamin remarked, sounding worried. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just… family stuff."

"Oh." Benjamin paused. "Well, all right then."

"Thanks," I said, hugely relieved.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes," I replied firmly.

"Okay, then. Keep in touch," Benjamin said. "I miss you already."

"I miss you, too. Bye."

* * *

When dusk fell, Theo and I met in the woods. Without any greeting other than a nod, we transformed into our wolf selves.

Our minds immediately butted up against each other. I felt a little resentful, not necessarily towards him, but in general. I'd only just started to accept and feel more comfortable about phasing into a wolf, but with Theo entering the picture, it became uncomfortable all over again.

Feeling the tension between us just reinforced everything I knew about him, and about our barely existent relationship. We simply didn't get along. For whatever reason, we just rubbed each other the wrong way. I always felt like I wanted to challenge him and beat him at something, which brought out the worst in me. We were clearly better apart.

Theo ignored my thoughts, but I felt the same vibes from him.

Still, we had a vampire to catch.

We raced through the forest. The vampire's scent grew stronger as I ran through the woods. Theo slowly started to fail behind a little, though he pushed himself and ultimately managed to keep up with me at my tail. He never asked me to slow down for him, though I could hear him struggling in his thoughts. However, I slowed slightly anyways, knowing it would be detrimental to both of us if either of us were tired when we confronted the vampire.

As we ran, I wondered, _Why does the leech keep coming back? I thought she might be gone after last night, when she realized that there were two of us. But her scent is everywhere again. Clearly, she's been lurking around here today as well._

 _Just focus on taking her down,_ Theo thought back. _Questions won't help us now._

 _Speaking of, don't let the vampire get her arms around you,_ I warned him. _She_ _'ll crush your ribs._

 _Got it,_ he said.

When we came across the river, I hesitated. _The scent is gone…_

Theo's wolf head lifted and he sniffed the air.

_Theo?_

_I can smell her on the other side of the river._

_You can?_

_Follow me._

With a powerful leap, he bounded over the river.

I leapt after him lithely.

When we hit the ground, I could smell her again, too. But I hadn't been able to pick up her scent across the river, the way Theo had been able to. _He has a good sense of smell._

 _Why, thank you,_ he thought wryly.

 _That wasn't meant for you to hear,_ I thought, irritated.

He didn't say anything back, but I felt the smugness in his mind. I could also swear that his wolf mouth smirked at me.

But there was no time to bicker. The vampire's stench was strong enough that we knew she was close by.

As we got closer, Theo picked up the pace and we evened out until we were running parallel to each other. Neither of us was willing to step down and be the beta of the hunt.

Only a moment later, I glimpsed the vampire standing between two trees. With a growl, I leapt forward, picking up my pace to give real chase.

_Billie, wait!_

_Theo, come on,_ I urged, pressing forward faster.

 _Billie, I can't run that fast,_ Theo said, frustrated.

_That's fine. I'll catch. You rip._

_No, let me catch her first. I have the stronger grip. If you mess up, the vampire will get away._

_I won't mess up, Theo._

_Just listen to me!_ he growled.

 _You basically just want me to sit back and let you do everything!_ I retorted furiously.

 _Is that so wrong in this situation?_ He shot back.

But too bad for him, I was faster. I jumped forward, my teeth bared.

The vampire growled as she tried to leap up into the trees.

 _Not fast enough!_ I thought, and sure enough, I caught her. My jaws tightened on her stone-hard flesh. My sharp teeth gripped her shin. A loud, metal screeching sound ripped out as my teeth scraped against her cold, rock-hard skin. However, because of how unbreakable her body was, I couldn't sink my teeth into her, meaning I couldn't get a strong enough grip to drag her out of the tree. Furiously pulling her leg out from my jaws, the vampire managed to slip up into the tree.

 _Damn it!_ I cursed loudly.

 _I told you so,_ Theo said, pissed off. He finally caught up to me and bounded up beside me.

Without warning, he rammed his shoulder into me, shoving me aside. Then, he leapt up and tried to jump high enough to catch her. His strong claws gripped the wood, but ripped through as his body weighed too much to be held up by just his front legs. He flew back down to the ground with a frustrated growl.

 _That's not doing anything,_ I hissed at him as the vampire smirked down at us. Then, she took off, leaping easily from tree to tree.

_She's getting away!_

We raced forward at the same time, which was a mistake. Theo was too slow in turning and I crashed straight into his shoulder by accident. But it didn't matter that it was by mistake.

Both of our tempers erupted.

_Get out of my way!_

_What the hell are you doing?_

_What are you doing?_

_Move!_ Fed up with Theo, I leapt over him and raced after the lingering scent of the vampire. But I had only sprinted for a short time when I realized that she had retreated far up the mountain. It was pointless to chase her now.

I doubled back and ran to where Theo had been. But he was gone. I snarled and took off again, tracking his scent this time.

I caught up to him right along the outskirts of the forest lining La Push.

 _What are you doing?_ I growled at him.

_I'm going to report to the Elders that there's a vampire on the loose._

_No, you're not!_ I raced out in front of him, forcing him to brake.

Debris sprayed everywhere as we both stopped, panting.

 _Get the hell out of my way!_ Theo shouted in his thoughts. His teeth snapped together as he glared at me harshly.

A deep, dominant anger built up in me as I felt myself responding to his challenge. I snapped back, jutting out my head. Theo roared and leapt towards me, attempting to pin me down. But I'd already seen him use that move. I dodged him and jumped onto him, instead. My teeth grabbed at his neck. Theo snapped his head back, trying to bite me back. But when he couldn't quite reach me, he changed his tactic. Taking advantage of his strength and mass, he shook me off, turned, and swiped at me, hitting my shoulder with his heavy paw. The blow hurt. I snarled as I jumped back.

 _You won't last in a fight with me,_ Theo said menacingly.

I held my ground and stared straight into his eyes. I stated, slowly and deliberately, _**I'm not going to let you tell the Elders about the vampire.** _To my utter surprise, when I mentally spoke those words to Theo, my voice underwent a strange, unexpected change. My voice still sounded like me, but it had another layer- a layer of strength, a layer of _authority._

A sudden, irresistible force arose between us - forcing Theo to submit to me. Theo whimpered in surprise. But before he could choose how to react, Theo's head dropped and then- he was _bowing_ down to me. He growled angrily and I could see his muscles working to resist whatever mysterious force was pushing him down before me, but for some reason, my words were binding him, forcing him to bow down to my command.

Startled, I barked. The spell broke.

 _What was that?_ Theo thought, confused and angry. _What the hell did you do?_

 _I'm… an Alpha,_ I realized slowly. I was speaking more to myself, and the tone of my thoughts reflected my disbelief. _My father, Jacob Black… traces back to Ephraim Black._

Theo snarled loudly as he heard my thoughts.

 _No,_ he growled. _I will not bow to you._ Before I could stop him, he bounded off and transformed into his human self. He pulled on his pants, but didn't bother to put on his shirt before he walked angrily to me and said, "To hell with your _order!_ The Elders need to know, since we clearly can't solve this by ourselves! Let's face it- we can't _stand_ each other, let alone _cooperate_. I'm reporting this before any casualties happen! That vampire could hunt someone tomorrow, even tonight."

It was painfully obvious that Theo wasn't going to listen to me. I also knew that if I tried to stop him, he was going to burst back into his wolf form. And he was right about what he said: I _wouldn't_ last in a fight with him. I calculated quickly in my mind. _I need to solve this before my parents get involved, before Uncle Seth and the others are implicated._

Without warning, I took off running in the forest.

I heard Theo shout, "Hey!", but as I was still a wolf while he wasn't, I was just a flash in the air to him.

I took off sprinting through the forest yet again, determined to catch the vampire before Theo could tell the others about her. In my mind, I repeated the promise I'd made to myself: _I won't let time stop ever again for those who have chosen to move on._


	12. Alpha's Gambit

Theo Uley's POV

I expected Shauna to follow after me, alpha though she was. I expected her to follow me back to the reservation village because I thought she was _smart_. As it turned out, I was mistaken, because she ran in the other direction, back towards where we'd found the vampire.

_No, she'll come back,_ I reassured myself, as I started to walk back home. _She's trying to assert her dominance over me. She's pretending to go back, but she'll come follow me home when she thinks I won't notice her. She's just trying to save her pride. She wouldn't really go after the vampire all by herself._

I paused. _Would she?_

Then, I groaned out loud. _Yes. Yes, she would._

I looked behind me again. My heart sank when I realized that she was nowhere in sight. I growled in frustration. _Damn it!_ _Wh_ _ere is she?_

The minutes ticked by in silence. I finally forced myself to continue moving, to keep going back towards home, but my anxiety started to drive me crazy. _What the hell is she doing? She can't possibly think she can catch the vampire by herself. The vampire seemed experienced - and she's not. Neither of us are. Which is why I suggested that we fall back and ask the Elders for help... God, why is she doing this to me? What if she gets hurt?_

* * *

Without even realizing it, I'd made my way back home. My father looked up in surprise as I came bursting into the living room.

"Son?" he said, standing up from the table. "What's wrong?"

"She went without me! What is she thinking?" I shouted angrily.

"Who went without you?"

My temper and panic crashed into each other, and words kept spilling from my mouth on their own. "I told her we needed to fall back! If she would just listen to me a little more-"

"Theo!" My father raised his voice, which he rarely ever did.

I fell silent.

My mother, having heard my father's voice, came into the room.

But my father kept his eyes on me. Slowly, he repeated himself, "Who went without you?"

Finally, I replied, "Billie."

"Billie? You mean Shauna Black."

"Yes."

"And where did she go?"

I opened my mouth to reveal that Billie had gone after a vampire, but my throat constricted, and I found myself unable to speak.

My mother looked from my father to me. "Theo?" she asked, worried.

"Son, what happened?" my father asked me commandingly.

My father gave me another chance to speak, but I slowly shut my mouth. I literally couldn't speak aloud the words I wanted to say.

My father, believing that I was purposefully choosing to ignore his request for information, sighed in disappointment. Instead, he turned to my mother and said, "Emily, call Leah. If Shauna's in trouble, Leah and Jake need to know."

* * *

Leah Black's POV

I hung up the phone and stood there in silence. _I prayed that this would never happen. It was my one wish. Why...? Why is this happening again?_ I hugged myself, trying to stay calm.

_Come on,_ I urged myself. _Leah, you're stronger than this. You're the woman who managed to piece her life back together when Sam left you for Emily, when Emily left you for Sam, when your father passed away, when your mother got re-married, when you phased into a werewolf and were the only female, when Jacob was in love with someone else... You made it through all of this and came out on the other side, stronger._

_And you need to be strong now,_ I told myself. _This isn't about your fear anymore. If things are really shifting back again, if there's even a threat of the past coming to light again, your goal is to protect Gabe and Shauna. That's it. You're a mother now. You've got to stay focused._

I took a deep breath and slowly lowered my arms from around myself.

By the time Jacob found me standing in the living room, my mind was set and my heart was ready.

Jacob picked up on my energy right away. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Sam and Emily are on their way over," I told him.

"At this hour? Why?"

When I didn't respond immediately, Jacob embraced me from behind. "Leah, what is it?" he asked. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

I turned around in his arms, facing him. "Jacob, our daughter is in danger."

Jacob blinked. Then, his entire frame bristled as he growled menacingly, "From who? I'll rip apart whoever dared to hurt her -"

_Thump, thump, thump!_

I raced over and opened the front door quickly. "Sam."

"Leah." Sam's eyes met mine and for a moment, I saw his guilt, again. Although we had long since gotten over each other as people, we had never been completely able to get past the _hurt_ we had given each other. But now was hardly the time.

Jacob stepped up behind me. "Sam, what's going on? Is Shauna in trouble?"

"Son?" Sam said, looking over his shoulder.

Theo stepped forward. "Billie- Shauna's gone."

"Gone?" I repeated. My voice sounded hollow." "Gone where?"

"She went after-" Theo stopped talking abruptly, as though he was choking on his own words.

"Son," Sam sighed, "you have to tell us, or we won't be able to help Billie."

Theo seemed to struggle for a moment, casting a frustrated look at his father. He tried to speak again, but failed. Finally, he muttered through gritted teeth, "I _want_ to tell you. I'm trying, believe me. It's just that I - I _can't_." He breathed out a short, sharp exhale of vexation.

"Can't?" Emily picked up.

Suddenly, Sam's eyes flashed with understanding. "It's not that you won't, but that you can't..."

Sam, Jacob, and I all exchanged looks. The three of us all knew that feeling far too well.

"Son," Sam said in a quiet, but firm voice. "Did you phase?"

Theo stiffened. Then, he said, in an equally quiet voice, "Yes."

Emily's hands shot to her mouth in a silent gasp.

"If you can't speak about something specific, then it must be an Alpha's Order," Jacob recognized. "That's why you can't talk, isn't it?"

Theo nodded.

Sam frowned. "Alpha's order? But that would mean that you _have_ an Alpha."

"It's Shauna," I breathed out, suddenly putting the pieces together in my mind. "Shauna's the Alpha."

"What?" Jacob said, stunned.

Sam lifted his eyebrow at me. "Your daughter phased?"

"She phased the day Billy passed away," I admitted.

Besides me, Jacob let out a short, upset breath. "You knew Shauna phased, and you didn't tell me?"

I shook my head at him. "Not now," I told him firmly. _Of course,_ _Jacob has every right to be angry, but I can't afford to waste time arguing with him right now. I need to know if my daughter - our daughter - is all right._

Turning back to Theo, I inquired anxiously, "So, if Shauna's your Alpha, was it Shauna who forbade you from telling us something?"

Theo nodded again.

"What _can_ you tell us?" I urged.

"Try to work your way around the order," Jacob suggested, remembering his own experience with trying to tell Bella that he was a werewolf. "Sometimes you can get away with speaking about things more generally."

Theo nodded. I could see him thinking hard. Emily walked over and put a firm, comforting hand on her son's shoulder. Her touch seemed to calm Theo. His thoughts became more clear and finally, he said successfully, "She's in the forest." He paused, and then he added hesitantly, "She's… chasing." He shut his mouth again, and we knew whatever order Shauna had forced on him was affecting him.

"Chasing?" Sam repeated, his brow furrowed.

"Where is she now?" Jacob asked anxiously. "Where is Shauna?"

"I can't… say," Theo struggled through his words. Emily squeezed his shoulder gently.

"But you know?" Jacob pressed.

"No. Not unless I… phase."

"Then phase." The words fell from my lips before I'd even thought it through. _Every second that passes feels like torture... I need to know where my daughter is!_

Sam and Emily looked at me, startled, but Jacob was nodding behind me. "Please, Theo," Jacob begged. "We need to know that Shauna is safe."

"Emily." Sam reached out and gently pulled Emily away from their son. Jacob and I also stepped back from Theo.

Theo hesitated. He looked over at Sam, as if to ask for affirmation. Sam nodded once.

Then, in a sudden and powerful burst of energy, Theo transformed into a wolf before our very eyes. I gasped. Theo was not quite as large as Sam was, but he clearly would be someday. And Theo, also like his father, appeared to have pure black fur. But as he stood before us, breathing heavily and trembling all over with contained, nervous energy, I noticed that there was a light streak of brown on his chest – that must have been the color Emily's fur would have been had she been a wolf.

Upon transforming, Theo suddenly let out a low whine. He started to thrash about a little. Jacob quickly pushed me behind him.

"Theo!" Emily shouted.

Theo, in his wolf form, looked up at his mother, and whined again.

Suddenly, he took off, leaping out and shattering our living room window.

"What in hell -?" Sam began.

"Shauna must be in trouble," Jacob said, his voice tight with concern. "Theo must have seen where Shauna is and felt that she was in immediate danger."

"From what, though?" Sam said, frustrated. "Werewolves are near unbreakable, unless…" He froze.

My own expression was morose. I had already figured it out. "There's only one thing that triggers us, one thing that we would _hunt_ ," I whispered.

Jacob looked over at me and swallowed hard. "Vampires," he said emotionlessly, but his eyes shone with nervousness.

"Oh no..." Emily breathed out. "Shauna..."

I was starting to fall apart. I couldn't take this extreme anxiety of not knowing where Shauna was, or if she was all right. Jacob, both sensing and sharing my distress, hugged me tightly. We both closed our eyes and prayed silently for our daughter's safety.

_Oh, Shauna,_ I begged in my mind. _Please, my love, please be all right._ For the first time in my life, I wished I could phase. Then, at least I could run towards my daughter, get to her and protect her. The spirits knew that I would do anything to save my daughter.

After a moment, Jacob pulled away and reached for his phone.

"Jake?" I said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Bella," he answered. "If there are vampires around, maybe she knows something about them."

Sam and Emily both looked out at the window, trying to look for their son racing through the forest, even though they knew full well that their son was well beyond their sight and therefore, their protection.

* * *

Shauna Black's POV

I had finally caught hold of her scent again. It led me straight to an open glade. I raced in, fangs bared and growling.

But she was nowhere in view. I paused, taken aback. _I'm sure her scent led me here…_ I hesitated, and then, my claws gripped into the dirt as I slowed to a complete stop.

Only a moment after I came to a stop, the eeriest feeling descended upon me. It was the feeling of many pairs of eyes upon me, all of them wishing me death. The fur along my back and neck rose. My instincts screamed at me: _Get out of here._

I started to turn around and bolt away, but before I could, the vampire I had been chasing appeared before me, blocking my path. I leapt sideways, and a low, surprised whine left my throat.

She grinned at me. "Where do you think you're going now?" she asked me, crouching down in preparation to attack me. "You were chasing me oh-so-eagerly... You can't leave just like that."

I snarled at her.

"No," she hissed at me, and her voice fell to a chilling whisper, "You can't leave _at all._ Not anymore."

At her words, no less than five vampires stepped out and surrounded me in the glade.

My head jerked back and forth as I tried to locate the quickest route out of here - but there was none. They had spread out strategically among themselves to surround me. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins. I knew for certain I was going to die. _This is it,_ I thought. I swallowed hard. _This is how I'm going to die._

A tremor ran through my body. _But I'm not going to go down without a fight. I can't._ _I want to protect my family._

_Theo called me selfish. He was right. But he didn't understand how far I was willing to go to protect my family._ Because becoming a werewolf had changed something inside me - not just my body temperature, but my very instincts, my core sense of self. I'd always been primarily focused on my own path in life. After all, I was the youngest child of a well-respected family in a tight-knight community. I never had the direct burden of having to consider others' feelings or safety before my own. I was always free - as Rebecca put it - the "flower child." And I took full advantage of it. I was always obsessed with being the best, and I relentlessly took what I could from every situation, because I never had to think about anyone except myself.

But since Grandpa passed away, and since I'd phased into a wolf and found myself fighting against a vampire, I couldn't think of life so simply anymore. I had now become the first and foremost protector - not just the first werewolf, but the _Alpha_ , and the Alpha of a generation that was never supposed to phase. And I didn't know what I was doing. Now, I would pay the price for it.

As the foreboding sense of death grew stronger, my wolf instinct completely overtook me. I threw my head back and let out an Alpha's call. Back on the reservation, a howl, long and loud, sounded out in response to my call.

Then, all five vampires struck at once.

I whimpered as I felt sharp fangs and nails tear viciously into me. I writhed against them, howling and gasping in pain. My paw slammed into one of the vampires' faces and sent him flying backwards, but then another vampire (strangely, a vampire with bright orange hair), took the opportunity to grab my paw and snap it.

Crimson red flashed across my vision. Through my wolf jaws, a pitiful pained howl escaped me. Instead my head, as my human self, I was screaming loudly in pain. _Ahhhh!_

_Billie!_ Theo's voice rang out. He winced as intense waves of pain transmitted through our mental link.

_Where are you?_ I could feel Theo trying to search through my mind, attempting to take in my surroundings. Then, he saw the glade I was in. _I'm coming!_ he shouted loudly.

I whimpered, still trying to paw weakly at the vampires to force them away from me. But they sensed that I was growing weak and attacked me even more ferociously, abandoning all strategy and coordination and attacking me outright. There was no need for strategy anymore, not when... not when I couldn't fight back anymore.

_I don't have it in me,_ I realized. _I'm not going to... I'm not going to make it.._

_No! Billie, you can't give up!_ Theo's thoughts furiously rebutted mine. _Just h_ _old on!_

Another vampire with dark black hair picked me up with ease and threw me hard on the ground. I felt the ribs on my right side of my body shatter. _Ahhhh!_ I screamed again, sobbing in my head.

_Billie, I'm almost there! Just, please don't - !_

Then, before I could fully comprehend the new rush of pain that was coursing through my body, the female vampire I'd been chasing all this time, leapt forward and with a savage grin on her face, she stomped her foot on my shoulder, snapping my upper arm and collar bone at once. My mind went into complete shock.

_NO! DON'T - !_ Theo's desperate voice broke off sharply as my mind abruptly blinked out.

* * *

Unconsciousness folds infinite layers within it. Waking up is a test of endurance - a slow climb back to the world of sensation. Vibration by vibration, the sensation of sound returned to me, until I could hear the rustling of the forest all around me. Bit by bit, my senses of touch and movement came back to me, too. There was a strange rocking movement around me, as though I was behind held by someone, and they were walking somewhere while carrying me…

My eyes opened blearily.

"Billie? Billie!"

I looked up a little and immediately grimaced as a sharp pain shot through my neck, shoulders, chest, and all the way down to my ribs.

After the initial shock of pain subsided, though, my vision returned to me as well. To my bewilderment, I found myself looking at Theo. _What the hell...?_

"Thank God," he murmured fervently. "Thank God you're all right."

I felt something tighten around me, and I suddenly realized that he was carrying me.

"Theo…?" I whispered. My voice came out extremely hoarse. I coughed lightly, and then winced when my ribs protested against the light internal pressure that my slight cough produced within me.

"Yeah, I'm here," Theo replied.

"What…?" As soon as I started to ask the question, my memory, too, came flooding back. I suddenly remembered what had happened right before I passed out - what had _caused_ me to pass out. I shuddered as I recalled, in excruciating detail, the pain I'd been subjected to.

"How am I not dead?" I asked him, my voice still quite raspy.

"You were damn close to dead, Billie," Theo said grimly. "I reached you just before the vampires could finish you off. You'd transformed back into a human when you passed out. I think they were debating whether to drink your blood or just snap your neck immediately. But when the vampires saw me burst into the clearing, they backed away because they were scared that an entire pack was after them. I think if they knew it was just me, they would have killed you and me both."

Then, his voice became moody and angry as he berated me. "What could have possessed you to go after that vampire without me? That was the dumbest decision you could have made, Billie!"

"I had to try," I whispered. "I can't let my parents know what's going on."

Theo's jaw became tight as he gritted his teeth together. He had been half-keeping his eyes on the forest floor ahead of us, and half-watching me as I regained my consciousness. But at my words, he suddenly looked away from me.

A dull throbbing pain began to spread all over my body. It was no longer just a sore ache in my neck, shoulders, chest, and ribs but a horrible and intense soreness literally all over my body, including my back and legs. However, as I became aware of my body, I wasn't just aware of the pain. Vain and foolish though it might be to notice such a thing in my current state, I nevertheless realized that I was completely naked. So was Theo.

"Theo, let me down," I told him.

"I don't think you can walk, Billie. They messed you up pretty badly."

"Just put me down," I demanded.

He sighed and grumbled, "You really hate being held by me, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Put me down."

"Fine." He stopped and gently set me down on the ground.

My legs were like a newborn fawn's. I shivered in place and nearly fell when I tried to walk forward. I grabbed onto a nearby tree trunk for a moment before I felt some of my strength return to my legs. Then, I pushed myself to move forward, and I was relieved to find that I could, in fact, walk. True, every joint in my body was throbbing with pain, but it was better than having Theo hold me.

Behind me, Theo shook his head, but he let me do as I pleased. We were nearly back home, anyways.

* * *

As we stepped out of the forest, Theo followed me towards my home.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, confused. "You should go home."

"My parents are at your parents' place," he explained.

"And why is that?" I said, my eyes narrowing. _He didn't tell them, did he? About us phasing, about the vampires... Did he?_

Theo remained silent.

_Shit._

I whipped back around and planted myself directly in front of him. When he tried to step around me, I blocked him and shoved him back.

" _Theo Uley,"_ I said furiously, _"tell me why your parents are at our house."_

Theo sighed. "Billie, you know you left me no choice-"

_Damn it. He told them. He told them. _I abruptly stepped towards him and aggressively shoved at him, my hands hitting up against his chest with dull thudding sounds as I half-hit and half-shoved him. He let me push against him, but he stood his ground stubbornly. _Of course he doesn't budge,_ I thought savagely, _stupid-Theo-Uley!_

My shoulders were burning with pain as I exerted myself in pushing at Theo, but I didn't care at the moment. I had been ready to throw away my life to keep my parents from knowing what was happening, and Theo had rendered it all meaningless. In a low, furious voice, I cursed at him as I repeatedly attempted to shove him back. "You complete bastard, I told you, I _told_ you, I _ordered_ you to shut up and _you_ -"

Just then, the most unexpected voice broke in. "Shauna?"

I froze. My hands suddenly went limp against Theo's chest. My mind struggled to comprehend what it had just heard.

The voice repeated itself, though it was much closer now. "Shauna...?"

_No, it can't be..._ My heart thundering in my chest, I slowly turned around to see –

"Ben?" I whispered.

My boyfriend, Benjamin, was standing just a few feet away from Theo and me. I gasped.

When Benjamin saw my face, his mouth dropped open. "Shauna," Ben breathed out in disbelief. His eyes flickered over to Theo and then back to me. Of course, Theo and I were both totally naked. My arms immediately flew up to cover myself. I crossed my legs nervously.

"Is this – Is this why you told me not to come down tonight?" You're... with him?" Ben asked, his voice was tight with pain. I could see his chest rise and fall with the effort it took him to speak to me in a controlled manner.

"No!" I protested immediately. Behind me, Theo, too, shook his head emphatically.

But the look in Benjamin's eyes told me that he had clearly already made up his mind that I had, in fact, cheated on him. And, to be fair, that was undoubtedly what it looked like. _Only it's not true._

"It's not like that!" I shouted loudly. My arms dropped, and I raced towards him. I didn't care anymore that I was naked. I couldn't afford to be embarrassed by something as trivial as that when my entire relationship with Ben was on the line.

I ran forward and grasped the front of Ben's jacket. "Ben, please, it's not what it looks like!"

Ben immediately looked away from me, dropping his gaze to the ground besides us. "God, I'm an idiot, aren't I?" he murmured numbly. "Here I was, thinking you were having a hard time, and me coming down here to make sure you were okay, and you're off with – with someone else."

"I'm not," I tried to tell him. I didn't realize it, but I was starting to cry.

Hearing the heartbreak in my voice, Benjamin finally looked up at me. He took off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. Then, he grasped my shoulders gently and looked directly into my eyes. "Then what is it?" he asked, pleading with me. His gaze was so open and vulnerable. He was putting himself out there, risking getting hurt, to give me a chance to come back to him - to tell him that I loved him the way he loved me, by explaining this all away. "Shauna, tell me. Tell me what's going on. I'll believe anything you say, just give me some other explanation. _Any_ other explanation."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I knew I couldn't tell him about werewolves and vampires. Even though I didn't know our laws yet, every instinct was screaming at me to keep silent. Somehow I just knew that telling Benjamin about all of this was to put him in danger and to put everyone on this reservation in danger. _This isn't just my secret. It's the tribe's secret, the tribe's very identity - and no one has the right to betray the tribe's secrets to a stranger, no matter how important that stranger is to one individual._

"I- I-" I stuttered. "Theo and I were just… It's not – It's not what it looks like."

I saw the hurt and anger flash across Ben's face. He exhaled heavily. His hands dropped from my shoulder. His voice broke as he said, "I loved you, Shauna. I'm sorry if you didn't feel like it was enough."

"You are enough, Ben," I said fervently, grasping his arms. "You are. Please, I just need time. I can – I can explain. Trust me."

"Trust you?" Benjamin repeated in disbelief. "You're asking me to _trust_ you?"

"Yes," I told him. "Ben, I would never betray you, or hurt you -"

"I think that... it may be a little late for that," Benjamin said, stepping out of my grasp. "After all, you already have."

I reached for him again, but he stepped further away. Ben wiped his eyes and looked up at me. He tried his best to smile as he said, "I'm sorry I came down here when you asked me not to. I thought I was wanted. If I had known, I would have stayed away."

"Ben, please... please don't do this," I whispered, reaching out my hand to him, entreating him to come back to me. "Ben, please."

"You left me no choice, Shauna," Ben replied. He was crying in earnest now, and his brave attempt at a smile broke apart. "T-take care," he murmured. Then, he turned away from me.

I heard him let out a choked sob as he half-walked and half-ran back to his car. His headlights turned on as he started the car and he drove away.

I suddenly realized that I had failed - at everything. Despite my efforts, I had failed to protect my parents from the knowledge that I had phased and that a vampire was on the loose. Worse, Theo had had to come and save me from the vampire ambush that I had walked straight into. And now, I had failed Benjamin, and in the worst possible way.

My vision became clouded with tears. _You_ _were wrong, Grandpa,_ I thought miserably. _It's not me. I'm not the Spirit Warrior leader for our people. I can't be. Not when I've made such a mess of everything._


	13. Enter White Knight

Shauna Black's POV 

As soon as Benjamin's car turned onto the street, I burst into tears. My entire body shook as I cried into my hands. _Ben, please, come back! Let me explain,_ I begged, even though he was already gone. _I only want to keep you out of danger. I'd never hurt you. How could I, when my wish is to be with you?_

_But what can I say? How can I ever earn Ben's trust without being able to tell him about this huge, frightening world of werewolves and vampires that I myself just discovered. This terrifying world… that I'm a part of - no, not simply a part of. I am... a wolf._

Behind me, I heard my father yell from the front porch, "Shauna!"

But I was too lost in my own thoughts. I had never felt so alone, or so out of control. A cruel voice sounded out in my head: _I'm not even human._

Sam suddenly roared, "Theo, stay back!"

My emotions overwhelmed me, and before I knew it, I transformed. A fresh bout of pain ripped through my still healing body as I burst into my wolf being. I howled loudly, an equivalent to a human yell of pain.

Theo barely managed to step back in time. He had been coming towards me when he saw me break down, and I nearly ripped his face off when I suddenly burst into my wolf form.

I growled at Theo and butted him with my snout, pushing him to the side so that I wouldn't accidentally hurt him, even though I was pissed at him.

Because Theo wasn't my priority right now. Ben was.

I leapt past Theo, and quickly raced through the forest again, tracking the road.

* * *

Soon enough, Ben's car was in sight. I was worried that he wasn't in a fit state to drive, and I needed to make sure that he was all right. I saw the car swerve a little bit. I barked loudly.

The next moment, however, the car pulled off of the road and slowly came to a stop. I snuck closer to the car, making sure to hide my bright silver-white fur behind the bushes and trees.

Poking my head out from behind a large redwood tree trunk, I peered into the car window. I saw Benjamin slumped over his steering wheel, crying into his hands. I whimpered in pain. _Oh, Ben_ _… I'm so sorry. Please don't cry._

Benjamin had always been soft-hearted. It had been one of the first things that I noticed about him, and why I fell for him so quickly. He was comfortable with giving himself to others – something I struggled immensely with.

I remembered that our mutual friend at college, Vivian, had once cried all evening because she was homesick - and Benjamin had cried with her. And for the following week or so, Benjamin went out of his way to check in on her - nothing too obvious and never demanding, simply concerned and wanting to be there for a friend.

I had asked him then, abruptly, _"Are you two close?"_

He blinked, a bit confused at my question. _"We're friends...?"_

 _"So- So, not dating?"_ I'd flushed with embarrassment, realizing that it was none of my business. And at the time, I wasn't even sure why I cared. It took me a while for the gears in my head to clunk into working mode and for me to figure out that I actually liked him very much - that _I_ wanted to date him.

Benjamin had laughed a little. _"No, we're not dating. I only met her a few weeks ago, actually. We were put together on a group project."_

_"Oh. But you're still checking up on her?"_

_"Of course. It's what friends do."_

_"I know,"_ I'd said. But I hadn't known, really. Because other than with my childhood friends from the reservation, I'd never had a friend like that, or been a friend like that...

And I quickly came to realize that this was not a one-off event. Benjamin acted this way towards everyone, because it was simple for him. He was just being himself. You can imagine my amazement when Benjamin suggested that we see each other.

_"Shauna, how about we... how about you and I... try something together?"_

_"Try what?"_

_"Dating."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Try dating."_ He broke into a shy, embarrassed laugh. Awkwardly running his hand down the back of his head, he'd said, " _I should, um, probably add a disclaimer here. I mean, I know I'm asking you out and all, but I don't even know how to begin a relationship."_

With the shock still filtering through my system, I'd blurted out thoughtlessly, " _You could kiss me."_

And he did. It was a shy and thoughtful kiss. Everything about Benjamin was thoughtful - no, more than that. He was kind. In fact, I often thought that he was too kind for me. It made me feel guilty, and in equal measure, it made me want to be better.

When we first started dating, I dealt with my own insecurities by telling myself that I would at least not disappoint him. Now, I stood numbly in the forest, in my wolf form, thinking: _How has it come to this?_

Because I'd done more than disappoint him - I had hurt him, and badly. More than anything, I wanted to show myself and approach him. I wanted to beg Benjamin to let me sit with him in his car. Even if we had to break-up, I wanted to be with him to the end. But I couldn't do it. Not with everything going on. I didn't even know what it meant to be a werewolf yet, and I didn't know why these vampires were on our land. Until I knew that Benjamin could be safe, I couldn't promise him anything, even if I wanted him.

I waited for a long time in the forest. Finally, I saw Benjamin sit up, wipe his eyes, and slowly drive back onto the road. He was driving steadily by the time he left the reservation. I followed him until he went beyond the reservation territory. Still in my wolf form, I remained at the very boundary of the reservation lands, and I watched his car disappear behind a thick line of trees that the road eventually curved behind.

Theo must have transformed again, because I heard him briefly in my mind just then. _Billie? Your parents are worried about you._

 _Get the fuck out of my head,_ I growled at him. Theo Uley was the last person I wanted to see or hear from right now.

Theo quietly acquiesced, transforming back into a human to leave me be.

* * *

Jacob Black's POV 

"Billie's all right," Theo told us, coming out of Billy's old room. He had transformed in there to give us an update on Shauna. Then, when Theo had transformed back into his human form, he had put on some of Gabe's old clothes before coming out. "She - er - asked me to give her some privacy, though." Theo's would-be-mild tone told me that Shauna had snapped at him.

"Thank you for looking after Shauna," I said to Theo. "I know she can be a bit headstrong sometimes."

Leah stepped forward and put her hand on Theo's shoulder. "Are you sure she didn't hurt you when she phased so suddenly?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Black," Theo replied. He looked past Leah at the shattered glass on the floor, which was a result of his breaking through our window to chase after Shauna. I'd managed to drag out a piece of heavy canvas from our garage (the kind I usually used to cover a motorcycle I was working on) and nailed it down against the window.

"Anyways," Theo said, "I'm sorry about your window..."

"Don't be," I reassured Theo. "From what you've told me, if you had been a second late, Shauna might have been in a bad situation."

Leah let out a sigh and stepped back. She crossed her arms and her brow furrowed. I could sense her frustration at the situation mounting inside her. "Leah - " I began.

But before I could finish, Leah burst out, "Why would Shauna do this? What could she possibly hope to achieve on her own? She knows nothing!"

"Leah." Emily spoke up just then. "That's exactly _why_ Shauna would do this. Imagine how terrified your daughter was when she transformed and immediately found herself facing our worst enemies."

"Your daughter has sharp instincts, I'll give her that," Sam said, nodding. "She survived an encounter with a vampire without any training or support, and she knew tonight not to tell her friend about our tribe's ability to phase into werewolves, even though no one's told her the rules yet."

"She was the one who helped me through my transformation," Theo recalled. "But if I think about it, she was the first one, right? She must have had to calm herself down all on her own."

Sam's eyes flickered with compassion and pain. He, too, had been the first of our respective generation to phase, with no warning whatsoever prior to his transformation.

"Maybe it was the wrong decision to keep this all quiet," Sam said heavily. "We thought it was for the better, that it was necessary to let everybody move on with their lives, and to give our children a safe and normal upbringing, but maybe that was a mistake."

I nodded at Sam. "Yes. After all, we knew from our last skirmish that the Volturi were still after the Cullens. We knew they would come after the Cullens some day."

Sam's eyes locked with mine. He understood what I was saying - that "some day" meant _now._

"But the Cullens aren't here anymore. So why are they coming back now?" Leah pushed back. "The elite bloodsuckers have nothing to do with us. We're not even real werewolves, remember? We're shape-shifters. The Volturi don't have a blood feud with us, technically speaking."

"Wait, what?" Theo said, surprised. He looked between the four of us. "What are you talking about? Who are the Cullens? And what do you mean – we're not werewolves?"

"Son, not tonight," Sam told him. "I'll explain everything to you later. But not tonight. There are more urgent things to discuss."

Theo's brow furrowed, but he listened to his father and stayed silent.

I admired the kid, truly. I don't think I'd have the patience to keep quiet if I were in his position. But then again, Sam was one of the most authoritative people I knew - one of the kindest and most reliable, too, but still, very commanding.

"Jacob, did Bella say anything to you?" Sam asked me.

"She said that Alice has had a few visions of different groups of vampires coming after them – some friend, some foe," I relayed. "Carlisle has rejoined them, and they're on their way over here now."

"They're coming back to Forks?" Leah said, her nose crinkling.

"They'll have to be on the low," Emily recognized, "since they haven't aged. It's only been about twenty-five years. People will recognize them, and the fact that they don't look a day older."

"They don't intend to stay any longer than they need to," I reassured her. "They just mean to help. Leah's right. If vampires are here, it's not about us. It's about them. Carlisle said he felt it was his duty to come back and clean up the mess that he and his family started, and Bella agrees."

"But that will mean that more of our kids will start to shift," Leah said, shaking her head slowly. "And we might, too."

I put my arm around Leah and squeezed her shoulders. "Yes, we might," I told her softly.

Leah blew out a breath.

Emily reached over and wrapped her arms around her son.

"I'm all right, mom," he murmured quietly.

 _Theo must be exhausted,_ I thought. "Sam, Emily, you should take your boy home," I said. "I'll call you if anything happens. And Sam, we should think this over tonight and call Sue tomorrow. The three of us need to figure out what to do soon. This affects everyone in our community."

Sam nodded. Then, in a gentle, but nonetheless stern voice, Sam asked, "Will you have a word with your daughter, Jake? She was foolish to have kept this secret to herself. She could have died, and we would have been left in the dark."

"Yes, Leah and I will speak with her. But not tonight," I replied. "For now, I just need Shauna to be all right."

Leah sighed quietly in my arms. "She was really foolish," she murmured, but her voice betrayed the worry she felt for our daughter.

"Come," Sam spoke to Emily and Theo. "Let's go home."

But Theo said abruptly, "Wait."

Sam paused, and looked down at his son.

Theo hesitated, and then avoiding his father's eyes, he murmured, "I don't know what's going on here, but I feel like I should tell you something..."

"What is it?" I prompted.

Theo thought about what he wanted to say for a moment before he looked up and addressed me and Leah. "Shauna went after the vampires by herself because she thought it was the only way to keep you, her parents, from having to transform again. She said that if the Elders knew about the vampires, it might open old wounds. I think she was foolish for going after the vampire herself, and I tried to talk her out of it and to come to you first, but... she wasn't doing it just to be reckless or hot-headed. It was to protect everyone. I just thought you should know that." Once he finished speaking, he fell into a somewhat embarrassed silence.

But I was grateful to Theo for telling us that. "Thank you for saying that," I told him affectionately. "It helps us to understand why Shauna did what she did."

"Yes," Leah said, but she muttered under her breath, "though it doesn't absolve her of her utter foolishness in going after that vampire alone."

"Let's go, Theo," Sam said, and he beckoned his son to leave.

"Leah, Jake - take care," Emily said to us as they left, "and take care of your girl. She's a good one."

"Yes," I replied gratefully, "thank you. Good night."

I closed the door after them.

* * *

Once I'd closed the front door behind the Uleys, I turned back around to find Leah still pacing in our living room.

"Why isn't she back yet?" Leah said nervously. Her anxiety and anger were stretched to the limit, like a rubber band about to snap.

"I'm sure she's on her way back. Maybe she just needs to be alone right now," I told Leah, trying to smooth down my own anxiety.

When Leah started to turn and pace back across the living room for the umpteenth time, I gently stepped in front of her. Stopping Leah, I took her hands into my own. "Leah, let's be patient with Shauna. The werewolf thing... It isn't easy, remember?"

Leah frowned at me, and for a moment, I thought she might argue with me. But she sighed and said, "Of course I remember. That's why I'm worried about her, Jacob."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked my wife. "You knew she phased. You didn't say anything."

"I'm sorry, Jake," Leah said sincerely. She reached up and touched my face softly. "I meant to tell you. It's only because the timing could not have been worse. You had just lost your father. I didn't feel like I could dump this news on you when you needed time and space to heal. Besides, Shauna told me that she phased because Billy passed away... I thought it was an individual thing. I didn't know about the vampires, or about Theo phasing. Otherwise, of course I would have told you immediately."

"I'm sorry, Jacob," she repeated. "You had every right to know. I was never trying to deny you that."

I nodded, though a bit gruffly. But Leah's apology reminded me of what Theo had told us about Shauna's decision: _"Shauna went after the vampires by herself because she thought it was the only way to keep you, her parents, from having to transform again... It was to protect everyone."_

"I imagine Shauna felt much the same way tonight..." I murmured aloud.

At time, Leah finally conceded, "You're right. I'm not angry _at_ Shauna. But it worries me how irresponsibly she acted, no matter how justified she thought she was. She could easily have gotten herself, and Theo, killed tonight."

"We'll talk with her about that," I promised Leah. "But like I said, not tonight. She's had a tough day, our daughter. And I'm not just talking about nearly losing her life from vampires. What happened with Ben was..." I sighed deeply, unable to find the words for it. Finally, I muttered, "As if the whole 'werewolf' thing wasn't enough..."

Leah's eyes saddened. "Poor Ben, and poor Shauna," she said quietly. "Shauna really liked him, I thought."

"Yeah, I think she did, too," I agreed. "But she's smart, our girl – she knew she couldn't tell him for his own safety. She was smarter than I was at her age."

"Yes, you told Bella Swan, of all people," Leah said suddenly, lifting her eyebrow at me.

"Hey now," I said defensively, "that was when I still had a thing for her."

"You don't have to remind me, Jacob."

"I'm just saying – I thought she and I were meant to be," I replied. "Turns out I was wrong, though. Turns out it was you and I that were meant to be." I kissed the back of her hand.

For a moment, Leah's eyes lightened and her face softened into a beautiful smile. But the worry came back quickly, shining brightly in her eyes. "Jacob," Leah whispered to me, "we have to keep our daughter safe. I can't imagine life without her. And if it's truly the Volturi again - " She broke off, not wanting to follow that train of thought.

"I know, Leah." I pulled her in for a hug. Wrapping my arms tightly around her, I promised her, "We'll keep her safe, you and me. We always have, and we always will."

* * *

Shauna Black's POV 

I was running through the forest, sticking close to the forest line along the main road. I avoided taking any shortcuts through the deep forest, as I didn't want to risk another encounter with the vampires again. The night was becoming cold, and it was quite dark. I knew that my parents were worried sick about me. I pushed myself to run a little faster, even though I was hurting all over. _I guess werewolf healing has limits_ , I thought grimly.

I was almost home when I suddenly heard and felt someone else's panic burst into my mind. At the same time, a loud howl sounded out from some miles away, clashing with the thoughts invading my head.

_What...? What's happening to me?_

I instantly identified the voice as Liam's voice. But before I could speak to him through our mental connection, I suddenly saw through Liam's eyes: _Quil, who was still human, had fallen back on the floor in front of Liam. Quil was clutching at his chest and crying out._

I gasped. _Quil!_

Liam, hearing my gasp sound out in his own head, became even more alarmed. His thoughts were no longer coherent words, but rather, a jumbled mess of confusion and shock.

I knew I had to calm Liam down _now_ , or else Liam would hurt Quil even more, or hurt himself.

 _Liam!_ I shouted. _Liam, listen to me. You have to calm down._

 _B-Billie?_ Liam hesitantly recognized my voice.

_Yes, it's me._

_How can I hear you? How - ?_

I once again saw through Liam's eyes: His bedroom door burst open, and his parents, Embry and Mia, ran in.

"Oh my God!" Mia covered her mouth with her hands.

Embry's eyes flew open. "Liam! Liam, is that you?"

Liam whimpered and nodded pitifully, shaking his big wolf head up and down. Then, he put his paw out to indicate Quil, who was lying on the floor, still clutching his chest.

"Quil!" Mia hurriedly knelt on the floor besides him. "Quil, honey..."

Liam whined guiltily. _I didn't mean to do it! I didn't mean to hurt him. He's my best friend._

"Liam. Liam, it's all right. It's okay," Embry said to Liam. He very carefully approached his son.

Liam whined again and shrank back.

"Okay, I'll keep my distance," Embry told him. "But I know you would never intentionally hurt anyone. And you're still you, son."

"I'm going to take Quil to the hospital," Mia said. She gently pulled Quil up, draping his arm over her shoulders.

"Liam…" Quil moaned, his eyes shut. "W-wolf…"

"I know, honey. I'll explain it all to you. But for now, just focus on breathing," Mia murmured soothingly to Quil. "We're going to get you help."

Meanwhile, Embry slowly reached out to Liam. Liam's ears flattened in fear. He stepped back into the corner of his room, but as he did so, he accidentally broke the end posts of his bed, thanks to his suddenly supernatural strength. When the metal snapped, Liam yelped in horror. Reflexively, Embry jumped back.

 _Liam..._ I tried to make my voice convey calmness, which is not something I was used to doing. _Listen to your dad. Trust him. He's experienced this, too._

_Billie, how the hell are you speaking to me?_

_Because I'm a wolf, too._

_What? You're telling me that this is real?_

_Yes._ _But there's no need to panic,_ I said quickly. But even as I told him that, my own doubts surfaced in my mind. Life had definitely become more complicated since I'd become a werewolf. Who was I to give Liam any reassurance? At the same time, the right thing to do now was to be there for Liam - and that meant calming him down so that he could phase back into his human form again.

Unfortunately, Liam knew me quite well, and he could sense the doubt in my voice. He shook his head and a new flash of doubt sparked in his mind.

 _I mean it,_ I said, forcing myself to make my voice stronger. I tried to think of my grandfather. I attempted to speak the words that he used to say in his stories about the shapeshifters. _This is what it means to be a part of the tribe. This is the power our ancestors had. We're meant to have this ability. It's a part of us, Liam. It's not new, or scary. It's just us living out our destiny._

Liam paused. _You're talking about the old stories,_ he realized. _The ones you love so much._

At Liam's words, I suddenly remembered how, when I was very young, I was the only one who took Grandfather's stories seriously. The others, like Quil and Marc, would tease me about it. I would get upset, and storm away somewhere. Liam had been the one who came after me and sat besides me until I calmed down. He'd listen to me go on about how important and meaningful I thought those stories were. That old memory of the two of us sitting under the tree, with him waiting for me to calm down, made me smile. This time, there was genuine warmth in my voice as I responded, _Yes. Exactly._

Liam took a deep breath. He managed to still his body somewhat, prompting his father to speak to him again.

"Liam…" Embry said softly. "I'm right here. I know you're scared. But I'm not going to hurt you."

Liam shook his head. _That's not what I'm scared of,_ I heard him think _. I don't want to hurt you, Dad._

 _Liam, if you can calm down, you'll go back to being human,_ I told him. _I know it's hard, but try to maintain your heartbeat. Look, your dad's right there for you, waiting for you to phase back. And I'm here, on the wolf side of things, and I'll be with you for as long as you need. You're safe._

 _O-Okay…_ He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. A moment later, a thought popped up in his head. _This is so weird…_

 _I know,_ I said sympathetically. _It really is._

_Billie…_

_Liam?_

_Am I just imagining you in my head?_

_Afraid not. But we'll talk later._

I could feel Liam slipping out of the mental link between us, and I knew he was transforming back to being a human.

I heard Liam's dad sigh in relief, and then the link broke entirely.


	14. Crimson Watch Tower

Shauna Black's POV

When I _finally_ made it back home, my mom was furious, but trying not to show it. She did snap at me, though, asking, "Where the hell have you been, Shauna? It's been hours since you phased and took off on us! And we heard a howl. We couldn't tell if it was you, if you were hurt!"

Dad shot her a look. Mom sighed and said, in a quieter voice, "Shauna, are you all right? If you're hurt, you need to tell us."

I shook my head, even though, truthfully, my body was in pretty severe pain from transforming so shortly after nearly being ripped apart by vampires.

"But we heard a howl," Mom said uncertainly.

I paused. Then, I admitted, "That was Liam. Liam just transformed."

Mom's eyes flashed. She turned to Dad, who asked me, "How did you find out it was Liam? Did you hear him in your mind?"

"Yes."

"Is he all right?" Dad asked.

"I think so..." I replied. "I managed to calm Liam down enough for him to transform back into a human. His dad is there, too. So I think he's okay. But Liam transformed out of nowhere, and Quil was with him when it happened."

Mom inhaled sharply. "Did anything happen to Quil?"

"Liam's mom was taking Quil to the hospital," I told them. "Quil was conscious, but I think he got hurt in his chest..."

Mom's eyes tightened. "I'll have to call Mia," she said. "But before that, you didn't answer my question. Are _you_ all right?"

"I don't… I don't know," I admitted, suddenly feeling the weight of today's events crashing down on me, both physically and mentally. _The fight with the vampires, the break-up with Benjamin, having to calm Liam down when I wasn't feeling calm myself..._ I suddenly felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Shauna - " Mom started to say, but before she could say anything else, I felt my lower lip tremble and a tear streaked down my cheek.

Dad had his arms around me in a second. "Shauna, sweetheart, it's all right. You're home. You're safe."

Hearing Dad's forgiving and reassuring words, I gave up trying to be strong in front of my parents. Instead, I cried my heart out in my dad's arms.

Mom came over to and she stroked my hair gently. "Oh, Shauna," she said softly, "I'm sorry."

The three of us stayed together like that for a long while. Then, Mom's phone rang. She looked at it. "It's Mia."

"You should get that," Dad told her. "They might need us."

"All right…" Mom kissed the top of my head, as I still had my face buried in my dad's chest. Then, Mom left the room, answering her phone as she did. "Mia, I heard about Liam. How is he? And how's Quil...?" Her voice drifted off as she walked away.

"Let's get you to bed, Shauna," Dad said.

* * *

Dad guided me to my bedroom. He tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead. He said warmly, "I'm so proud of you, Shauna."

"No, you're not," I said, my voice wavering slightly. "I messed everything up. I fought with Theo. I stupidly went after a vampire on my own and got ambushed, and Theo had to come save me. I broke Ben's heart, and I couldn't come up with a way to explain anything to make him hurt less. And I had to lie to Liam that everything was fine, but he could tell I wasn't telling the truth, that I was panicking myself, and it made it harder for him to calm down… I failed at everything, and I pulled everyone around me into trouble."

Embarrassingly, I was crying again. I hid my face under my blanket, so Dad wouldn't see. He tried to tug the covers away from my face, but I resisted.

"Shauna, I know you're crying," he said impatiently, almost ripping the covers out of my hands. I forgot how strong my dad was. He sighed and gently tucked the covers around me again. Then, he reached out and turned my face so that I had to look at him. He watched me sniffle for a moment before he said, "Being an Alpha is hard, Shauna. But you'll get better. You'll become stronger."

"Dad," I blurted out, "can't you be Alpha again – without phasing, somehow? I mean, I was only playing at being Alpha because I had to be, because I didn't want you and Mom to find out. Besides, it was just Theo, and I can't even control him."

The corner of Dad's mouth pulled up in a half-smile, half-grimace as he said, "I think you controlled him just fine tonight, when you forbade him from telling us anything."

"I thought it was the right thing to do," I said miserably. "Uncle Seth told me about how hard it was for everyone, especially Mom. I wanted to do whatever I could to protect you guys from anything that might cause you to phase again."

"I know, sweetheart," Dad said. His voice was both proud and sorrowful. "But you see - protecting others, putting others before yourself - that's Alpha behavior."

"I don't want to be an Alpha," I repeated stubbornly.

Dad paused.

I knew I was being immature. I tried to offer an explanation, but I struggled to articulate my feelings in any coherent manner. "Dad, I only know how to think of myself. I'm good at watching out for myself, but that's it. That's why I – That's why I liked Ben so much. He was always looking out for others. He always knew the right thing to do or say to make someone feel better. But I _can't_ do it. I couldn't do it tonight with Liam…" I clamped my mouth shut, feeling like I was just rambling now. Everything that had happened today was starting to mesh into one giant mess in my head – a mess that I was responsible for.

"Shauna, you're not giving yourself any credit here," Dad told me. He sounded both frustrated with and proud of me. "Not only did you have to figure everything out by yourself very quickly, but you were responsible for others very quickly, too – before you had the chance to figure it out for yourself. Now, I will agree with you that going after a vampire by yourself is just plain stupid. I won't lie that your mom and I are pissed about that, and we'll be talking to you about that later. Not to mention, I've a mind to take you to a hospital right now, but considering that you're a werewolf, I thought it'd be best to wait for Dr. Fang. He should be here very soon."

"Uh, Doctor Who?" I said, sure I had misunderstand him.

But Dad continued, "Shauna, look, in making those decisions, you already _were_ thinking of others. You were trying to protect your dear ol' mom and dad, even though you shouldn't have. Your mom and I are a pretty strong team on our own, you know. And I know you were trying to protect Benjamin, and you were trying to help calm down Liam."

"I'd say those are the actions of a leader," Dad said affectionately. "Your problem was that you tried to figure it out all on your own, when you can't. No one person can. That's why we're a pack. But you'll learn how and when to rely on others. That comes with experience."

My dad kissed me on the forehead again. "Now, sleep. I'll come and wake you when the doctor's here." He smoothed my hair back and then left my room, closing it gently behind him.

* * *

Jacob Black's POV

I left Shauna's room and went to Leah's and my bedroom. She was just finishing up her call with Mia.

I lay down on the bed beside her, tired out from today's events. When she ended her call, I looped my arm around her waist and gently but firmly pushed her down on the bed besides me.

She turned her head to look at me and saw my eyes flutter shut. "Are you sleepy?" she asked softly.

"Yes," I mumbled. But I opened one eye and asked, "How's Quil? How's Liam?"

"Quil's all right, thank God. The doctor said it was a shallow slash across the chest," Leah told me. "And Liam is with Embry, and they're talking through it."

"Good," I said. Closing my eyes again, I pulled Leah closer to me, tucking her head under mine. I nuzzled the top of her head with my chin, messing up her hair.

"Jacob," she protested, putting her hands on my chest to gently push me back. I laughed lightly and opened my eyes to look down at her.

"How's Shauna?" Leah asked. "I'm still not sure we should have waited for Carlisle. From what Theo said, Shauna was in rough shape. Even with werewolf healing powers..."

"I know, but a human doctor wouldn't know what to look out for," I replied. "Remember when Carlisle had to patch me up?"

Leah winced. "Yes, I think we all remember that." She leaned forward and kissed me softly. "I'm still sorry for that, Jacob. You were trying to save me."

"Not trying," I corrected her. "I _did_ save you."

Leah laughed. "All right, fine, I'll give you that one."

I smiled. Then, I turned over and stared up at the ceiling. Thinking over our conversation, I said quietly, "Theo was right. Shauna was trying to take one for us, Leah. She said that Seth had told her about how hard it was for you and me to find balance in our lives again. Shauna was willing to do whatever it took to keep us from knowing what was going on because she didn't want us to feel like we needed to phase again."

"Shauna can be aggressive, and she's not always the most tactful," I murmured. "But even so, I think her heart is in the right place."

"Of course it is, Jake," Leah agreed.

I paused, and then I confessed, "Maybe I'm just thinking this way because Shauna's my daughter, after all, but... I think she really has it in her to be a great Alpha."

"She's going to have to temper down her headstrong trait, though," Leah said. "Although I guess I'm hardly one to talk..."

I turned my head to smile down at her, but suddenly, I felt a jolt in the mattress as Leah abruptly sat up.

"Leah?" I said, confused.

"Wait a second. What did you say?" Leah asked me, turning to me with wide eyes.

"... About what?"

"You said that Seth told Shauna about how we were afraid of phasing again, didn't you?"

"Yes?" I said slowly, puzzled.

"That means that Seth _knew_ Shauna was a werewolf, too," Leah said. Her teeth came together and she spat out, "And that little shit didn't tell me."

In a flash, Leah was up and dialing Seth.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was well past midnight. I groaned. "Leah - "

But it was too late. I heard the faint _click_ sound on the other line, and Seth murmured groggily, "Hel-?"

With the force of a mini explosion, Leah screeched into the phone, "SETH CLEARWATER - YOU DIDN'T TELL ME MY DAUGHTER WAS A WEREWOLF!"

Seth's audible "HUH?" sounded out over the phone.

"Leah!" I called out to her, attempting to calm her down. "Come on, what did you _just_ say about tempering down?"

On the other line, Seth shouted back, "I DIDN'T KNOW _THAT_! SHE JUST ASKED ABOUT WEREWOLVES AND PHASING - !"

"OH, AND YOU COULDN'T PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER?" Leah yelled at him.

Giving up entirely, I rolled back over on the bed and smushed my face into my pillow. "Clearwaters," I grumbled.

A moment later, I shouted out, "Ow!" as Leah decided to give me a sharp pinch on the butt for my comment.

* * *

Theo Uley's POV

Back home, I had just taken a shower and was walking back to my room from the bathroom. As I did, I noticed that the small light on the side table next to the couch was still on. Thinking someone had accidentally left it on, I walked over to the living room to turn it off, but then I noticed my father sitting on the couch.

In the dim light, most of his face was covered in shadow, but I could still see how his brow was knitted together. The low lamplight carved out his strong jaw, reminding me of how imposing he was, both physically and in personality. His eyes glinted with a serious, intense fire. It always did.

"Theo? Is that you?" he called out to me.

I nodded, before I realized he probably couldn't see me very well. "Yes," I replied out loud.

"Come here."

I walked forward, stopping in front of my father.

He looked up at me. "Son, are you all right?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I'm all right."

"Shauna didn't hurt you when she transformed?"

"No. I stepped back in time, and then she pushed me out of the way."

My father nodded.

"Dad, why are you sitting in the dark?" I asked. I started to reach over to flip the light switch to turn on the ceiling light.

But my father said quietly, "No, son."

I paused, feeling awkward and foolish just standing in the dark like this.

"Theo," Dad said, and his voice seemed to ring out in the darkness. "You and Shauna are werewolves now. That means that if you lose control of your emotions, you'll phase without meaning to. You could hurt each other, or someone else... As you yourself almost experienced tonight. Don't take that risk lightly. Because some marks... they won't disappear. Ever." My father's eyes dropped to his hands. "You don't want to have to live with that."

I hesitated. He seemed to be talking about some specific event, but I wasn't sure what. He'd never talked to me about his being a werewolf before. "Dad..." I ventured. "You were a werewolf before, too, right? Shauna told me."

"Yes, I was. I was Alpha of the pack for a time."

"You were Alpha?" I said, surprised.

Dad nodded. "Jacob took over eventually, as the Black bloodline precedes the Uley bloodline in terms of Alpha ranking. But I was the first one to transform, like Shauna. And for many months, I was the only werewolf..."

Then, he shook his head slightly, as if pulling himself out of his own memories. "Shauna's your natural Alpha, and perhaps it will stay that way. She certainly has the instincts of an Alpha. But son, being a werewolf is not something to take lightly. Like I said, people can get hurt. So, if Shauna becomes overwhelmed and loses her cool, it's up to you to keep her, and the rest of the pack, grounded. All right?"

Not quite understand my father, I repeated, "Grounded...?"

"Yes, son. Keeping your head is the most important thing. It's the only way to keep everyone safe. Shauna is like Jacob and Leah. The girl has a lot of spunk, which I admire. But she's headstrong. _You_ are the one who will keep the phasing - and the situation - under control. And should the others phase, they'll turn to you. I can already see that you are the one who will keep everyone else grounded. But it will require effort and forethought, Theo."

_Keep everyone else grounded?_ I gazed at my father. _Maybe Dad could do it. I don't know if I have it in me to play the same role, though. I've never been as strong or as grounded as Dad wants me to be. I'm different from Dad, no matter how much I try to be like him..._

Dad sighed. "Never mind," he said. He stood up from the couch. "It's late. We should get to bed." He reached over and flicked off the lamp and for a moment, we both stood in complete darkness. Then, our eyes adjusted enough that we could walked out of the living room without bumping into anything. We made our way towards our respective rooms.

"Night, Dad."

"Good night, son."

* * *

Annabelle's POV

" _What_ are you doing?"

"Shush."

"I told you to leave me alone, damn it," Alistair growled at me.

"Oh, stop fussing about," I replied, rolling my eyes. "This was your idea, after all."

I was practicing my ability with Alistair, trying to make him fall asleep quicker - that is, quick enough to make it an offensive power. Alistair didn't want me to practice on him, which, ironically, was the best practice since if I needed to use this power while fighting, it would be against someone exactly with Alistair's resistant attitude.

I was making progress, but it was difficult, as I couldn't take the time to visualize all the colors and dimensions. However, I could feel that it was possible. I believed that I was close to making a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, I was progressing far too slowly and the thirst made me weaker and weaker. We hadn't fed since they'd thrown us in here. Alistair was becoming grumpier by the minute, but I couldn't blame him. My body craved blood. Furthermore, my newborn powers were beginning to fade. I knew I would lose them completely in a week or so.

* * *

Finally, the Volturi sent for Alistair.

The guard came down the stairs. He pulled out his necklace, which had a "V" insignia on it. He pressed the metal against the bars, and the insignia somehow acted as a key, opening the door.

"Alistair." I shook him awake.

Alistair grasped the situation immediately and got on his feet.

"Wish me luck," he said, one hundred percent sarcastic as the guard led him away.

* * *

He came back only a short while later. He looked exhausted. I could tell he had gone through Jane's sadism.

"Guilty," he mumbled as he stumbled into the cage again. "Execution tomorrow."

"No," I said.

"Told you," he muttered, as if all that mattered was that he proved me right.

"Guilty for what?"

"An accomplice to crime," he replied. "They're going after Carlisle as well as the rest of the Cullen family."

"No," I whispered.

"Yes," he said. "It's true."

"We can't let that happen."

He laughed weakly. "What good can we do? We're stuck in here."

"We can escape," I argued back, keeping my voice low.

He shook his head.

"We can, Alistair," I insisted.

"Escape the Volturi?" Alistair scoffed. "Listen, newborn, no _reasonable_ vampire would entertain your suggestion. Escaping the Volturi is impossible."

"You've been doing it since before you met me," I reminded him.

"But this is their home field," he countered.

"Well, fine," I said, frustrated with him. "But we'll die whether we rot in this cell, waiting for the Volturi to end us, _or_ by trying to escape. I prefer the latter, don't you?"

"No," Alistair argued. " _I'll_ die either way. You won't unless you try to escape."

I stared at him, confused. _Is_ _he trying to protect me?_

Alistair refused to discuss anything more with me. "Let me have my final moments of peace," he insisted.

* * *

When the guard came and to fetch Alistair the next morning, I stood up with Alistair.

Alistair shot me a glare, warning me not to do anything.

I waited until the guard had taken Alistair out and shut the door behind him. Then, I abruptly reached out and grabbed the guard's neck through the bars.

All night long, I had been focused on one dream, a dream of total blankness. The dream bled easily from my fingers and infiltrated the guard's mind like ink spills dropped in water. _I'm sorry. I said I'd never be like Alec, and yet, I'm using my powers to do exactly what he does - take away your senses, take away away your will..._

The guard collapsed.

Alistair whirled around. Shocked, he hissed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Get me out!" I commanded.

Alistair quickly reached for the guard's necklace, which was embossed with the Volturi emblem. But when Alistair touched the necklace, he hissed in pain and pulled his fingers back.

"It recognizes its master," Alistair realized. "The medallion has received its wearer's venom. That's why new members are inducted through a ceremony."

"You can't touch it?" I said, anxiety eating away at my heart. I knew it was only a matter of time before more guards were sent. If Alec and Jane or Demetri and Felix were sent, we were done for.

"What do I do?" I whispered, fearful.

Alistair dragged the guard over and without touching the necklace, Alistair pressed the guard's chest against the bar so that the necklace touched against the bars.

"That should help. Try to use your newborn strength to pry open the bars," Alistair suggested.

"What?"

"Don't argue! Try. It's now or never."

I hesitated, and then I reached out and gripped the bars. They hummed with warmth at first, but as I tried to pull them apart wide enough to slip through, they started to burn my hands. I grimaced at the unpleasant feeling. However, Alistair was right - the guard's necklace was making the metal more malleable. It was almost like the metal had been softened somehow.

I managed to pry the bars far enough apart to get my shoulder through. As I pushed with my shoulder, the bar seared into my skin. I moaned in pain.

"You're almost there," Alistair told me.

Gritting my teeth, I focused all my newborn energy and pushed against the bar again. With a shrieking sound, the bars bent in and I was through. I stumbling forward, tripping. Alistair caught me.

"Shit," he said, looking at my shoulder. There was a long scar across it, a golden-bronze color, which the color of the metal itself.

Then, footsteps sounded out on the steps above us.

"Guards!" Alistair said urgently. "Run!"

Alistair seemed to know exactly where he was going. Thankfully, since my newborn abilities allowed me to run a little faster than him, I was able to keep us with him. Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I followed him through a seeming catacomb. Finally, Alistair punched through a metal drain cover. We slipped through, up onto the streets, and then sprinted down the alleyways. Thankfully, it was an overcast day as we barreled down these back streets.

* * *

Standing at the top of the tower, the three ancient vampires were watching them.

Alec entered the room. "The prisoners have escaped. We could catch them easily. Felix and Demetri are only waiting for your command."

"Let them run," Aro said, amused. "Follow them. They will lead us straight to Carlisle."

"How can you be so certain?" Caius asked.

"Carlisle will come to Annabelle," Aro explained.

"I thought he abandoned her," Marcus remarked.

"No, Carlisle wanted to hide her."

"Then he is truly building a coven," Caius said thinly.

When Aro didn't reply, Caius pressed, "They have already shown us they have the power to defy us. Any further, and they will overtake us."

"But there are three of us and one of him, brother," Aro said calmly. "As long as we bring Carlisle to peace, the others dare not revolt. That's why we may as well follow them for now."

* * *

Shauna Black's POV

"Shauna? Shauna, wake up. Dr. Cullen's here."

I blinked as I felt my dad gently shaking me awake.

I tried to sit up, but my shoulders protested. I winced. Sleep had taken away all the adrenaline away and I felt much worse than I did last night.

"Hello, miss."

I looked up, and then blinked in surprise as I looked up at the "doctor." He had strikingly pale skin and light golden eyes. It was unnerving.

Before I knew it, I was shivering. "Vampire!" I shouted, leaping to my feet.

"Get back," Jacob said harshly to the doctor.

Dr. Cullen put his arm on Jacob's shoulder. "It's all right."

"What are you doing here? Are you one of them? I snarled.

"Shauna, come to your senses!" Mom snapped at me from my doorway. "Do you think your dad and I would have invited him to come in and treat you if we didn't trust him one hundred percent?"

"Shauna, please, Dr. Cullen's here to help you, not hurt you. This is the man who saved my life," Dad said quietly, trying to calm me down by keeping his voice low.

I slowly relaxed. "Sorry," I said, though my voice was still wary.

"Not at all. It's very understandable that you would react that way," Dr. Cullen said lightly. "Especially if your only interactions with vampires have been... er - unfriendly."

"But please, lie back now," he instructed. "I want to check where you're hurting and why."

Dr. Cullen was very cautious with me. He would tell me everything he was doing beforehand and then move very slowly. He ran his hand down my back, pressing on my shirt to feel my shoulders and my spine. His hand was so cold. I shivered. He stopped for a moment, waiting for me to relax. Then, he moved his hand and pushed gently on my back a few times. I winced almost every time. He frowned and prodded a bit more.

"Ow…" I grimaced through gritted teeth.

He poked a bit harder, then he pulled his hand away and let out a sigh of relief.

"You'll be all right, miss," he said to me.

Besides him, my dad chirped up, "No re-breaking?"

"No, thank goodness," Dr. Cullen said. "I was afraid for a moment that her shoulder might have had to be re-broken and set, but I think the pain she's feeling is from overgrowth of scar tissue around her joints."

"Scar tissue...?" I said questioningly.

Dr. Cullen nodded. "Werewolves regenerate extremely quickly. Since you phased twice, with the latter time being before your near-fatal wounds had healed, your body tried to compensate by healing over still-building tissue. That overbuild is making it hard for you to move. In humans, this is a difficult issue to treat, but I'm fairly certain that with werewolves, your body will self-correct. I'll return tomorrow afternoon to make sure you're not experiencing any worse symptoms, but I expect that you'll be feeling fine in a couple of days."

Both of my parents let out a long breath.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Cullen," Dad said.

"Not at all," he said politely.

He left the room with Dad. As they left, Dad paused and told Mom, "I'm going over to the Uleys. I'll be back soon."

Mom nodded, and then she looked over at me. "Are you hungry? I can bring you breakfast."

I shook my head. "I want to get up. I think I'll feel worse later if I don't move around and stretch."

"Are you sure?" Mom said skeptically. "I think you should rest."

"Just for breakfast, and then I'll come straight back here and rest," I promised.

"Fine. Come on, then. Oh, and fair warning, not only is Uncle Seth here, but some of Dr. Cullen's family are here with us. You'll see them in the living room."

"Uncle Seth is here?"

"Yes. He came over first thing this morning."

Sure enough, when we reached the living room, there was Uncle Seth, happily putting in a new pane of glass for our window.

"What happened to our window?" I asked Mom.

"Theo leapt through it."

"He what?"

Mom just shook her head.

As Uncle Seth fitted in the new window, I realized that he was chatting up a storm to two vampires sitting on the couch. One was a tall male, with neck-length blonde hair. He sat quite stiffly, holding himself formally. Besides him, a petite woman was sitting with her hands folded gracefully in her lap. She had cropped, spiky, black hair.

As Dr. Cullen approached them, she rose from the couch to speak to him. "Carlisle, someone's trying to get to you, wondering about you…"

The man she had been sitting besides frowned. "The Volturi?"

She shook her head. "No, Jasper, not the Volturi. This is the woman I've had visions about before… She's with Alistair. I can't tell what her intentions are, because she doesn't know where's she going. She's just following Alistair, and Alistair's following his tracking sense, so I can't predict what they're going to do."

She looked up at Dr. Cullen. "Why do I keep seeing this woman? And why won't you talk about her? I know you know who she is. I see a flash of recognition in your eyes when I speak of her."

Dr. Cullen said quietly, "She's just someone I met in London. That's all."

"If that's all, then why does she keep appearing in my visions? And why has she changed from a human to a vampire in my sight?"

"I don't know," Dr. Cullen replied, and his voice was suddenly tired and sad. "Alice, if you have a vision of her in any danger, even if it's one future out of a million futures, you have to tell me, all right?"

Alice frowned. "There's always a chance of danger, Carlisle."

"You know what I mean," Dr. Cullen said softly.

She sighed. "All right. I'll try. But like I said, her future is vague because Alistair's is."

Dr. Cullen nodded. "I understand."

"We should check out the area around our old home," Jasper suggested. "If there are any vampires looking for us, I suspect that that's where we can check out their scent."

"Yes, but we must be cautious," Dr. Cullen said. "It may be possible that someone is keeping a watch on that house, and we don't know how many vampires might be waiting to ambush us."

Jasper nodded. "We should take a high vantage point. Perhaps high up in the mountains. Although there's always a risk they might try to trap us on a mountaintop, so we'll need to choose two peaks that are close to each other and with a high cresting valley between them."

"I'll check to see if there will be any interference tonight," Alice said reassuringly. She sat back down and gave Jasper a light kiss on the cheek.

"Here. Breakfast." Mom put down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.

"Mom," I said, "how's Quil? I know you talked to Liam's mom last night."

"He's all right. It was just a gash, thank God," Mom told me.

"And Liam?"

"I think he's all right, too."

Then, Mom sighed and said, "I guess it's rude if you don't introduce yourself to your guests, huh?"

"Not at all," Dr. Cullen said graciously, overhearing her even though my mom had whispered it.

She scowled a little, but she nodded at me, motioning that I should go over to them. I did, getting off my chair a bit awkwardly because I was so sore. But it was not the vampires I needed to be careful of - it was my own Uncle Seth.

"Kiddo!" Strong arms embraced me tightly. "You're all right!"

"Ow, ow, ow, Uncle Seth!" I moaned.

Mom shoved Uncle Seth off of me in an instant. "She's still _hurt_ , you big goof," she shot at Seth.

Uncle Seth deftly avoided Mom's shove and grinned at me. "You're a sly dog, aren't you, Shauna? Coming over to my place and pretending you were interested in the legends, telling me you knew Leah used to be a werewolf instead of telling me that you _are_ a werewolf." He shook his head, but he was smiling. Leaning over and ruffling my hair, he said teasingly, "Welcome to the _pack_ , Alpha."

Mom snorted behind him. Then, she said, "Seth, she's supposed to be meeting our guests."

"Oh, right," Seth said, and stepped aside. "Well, meet our allies - the Cullen clan."

"You've met Dr. Cullen, of course," he said. I nodded, and Dr. Cullen nodded back at me.

Then, Dr. Cullen extended his hand, gesturing to the others. "These are two of my family: Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen."

"Hi," I said, a bit awkwardly. "I'm Shauna."

"Nice to meet you!" Alice spoke up brightly. "Thanks for having us here. You have a beautiful home."

"Don't start, Alice," Mom grumbled from beside me. "I spent weeks guarding your ridiculously expensive house."

"Doesn't mean I don't like quaint ones!" Alice replied, smiling.

"Quaint?" Mom repeated, lifting an eyebrow.

Alice laughed, and Uncle Seth chortled.

"What about the others?" Uncle Seth asked.

"Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee are flying over," Jasper replied. "They thought it would be safer for Renesmee to take human transportation."

"Emmett on a plane?" Mom said, wrinkling her nose.

Alice, Carlisle, and Seth laughed, and even Jasper cracked a smile.

"Who's Emmett?" I asked.

"Our brother," Alice told me. "He's very sturdy. You'll see."

At that moment, Dad returned home. His eyes were lighter, but his demeanor was serious.

"Did you make a decision?" Mom asked him.

Dad nodded. "We've made the decision to tell all of the former werewolves about the potential threat and the possibility that their children might phase. Sue, Sam and I will call a council meeting tonight, and we'll announce the truth about our tribe's abilities."

Mom exhaled softly. "People are going to struggle with that news..."

"Yes. We'll have to be ready to support everyone after the meeting," Dad acknowledged. "Sue says she's happy to keep her home open all night in case anyone needs to come and speak with her. We can offer the same, if you're willing, Leah."

"Of course," Mom replied.

Dr. Cullen looked serious as he heard my parents discussing what to do. He watched my parents with both regret and respect in his eyes.

"At that council meeting, we also plan to make a second announcement," Dad said. Then, he looked squarely at me as he continued, "That you, Shauna Black, will be Alpha of this generation's tribe."


	15. First Spring Rain

Annabelle's POV

Alistair and I didn't stop running for days. Being an ancient nomad, Alistair knew the secret passageways of Europe better than anyone, even the Volturi. His knowledge, combined with his tracking ability, meant that we didn't have to second-guess our path, and could keep running.

But eventually, we needed to hunt. We parted, though neither of us separated farther than ten or so miles. I finished first, having taken down an elk. Though I'd suffered more than a few scrapes and bruises against the powerful creature, by the time Alistair returned, my body had healed. I was sitting on the rooftop of a distant village, marveling at how my body could heal itself when Alistair came back. He leapt lithely onto the rooftop besides me. His eyes were now glowing a bright crimson red. He beckoned to me. "Come."

I cocked my head at him, wondering what he intended. When I stepped towards him, he jerked his head towards the outskirts of the forest, miles away. "Can you see the ocean?" he asked me.

My eyes scanned the horizon, but I could only see the wide expanse of the forest before us.

"No..." I said honestly.

He scoffed. "Pitiful. Are you sure you're a vampire?"

"I think you can only see it because you know that it's there," I accused him.

Alistair shrugged, unimpressed by my argument. "Anyways, we're swimming back to Washington. I'm telling you now so that you won't bother me once we're underwater. I don't need you tugging at me, begging me to come up from the water so that we can ' _talk_.'" Got it?"

I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes.

" _Got it?"_

"Yes, yes, I got it," I replied. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

After another long stretch of travel, we were on the shores of Washington yet again.

This time, after two days of tracking in the forest, I caught a familiar scent: the smell of light musk, something crisp like pears, and the reminiscent scent of old books.

"Carlisle," I breathed out.

"We're getting close," Alistair agreed. He stopped for a moment and shut his eyes.

"This way," he said, opening his eyes again. He took off again, and I followed him, though I lagged behind a little.

The truth was that I was beginning to lose my newborn powers, and Alistair teased me constantly about it. His jokes were awful.

"Who's the decrepit corpse now?" he joked.

"I never called you that," I said, offended.

"Didn't you?" he replied, flippantly. He shrugged and said, "Well, you should have. It's funny."

"Alistair, please," I said. "Socialize more. Your jokes are horrible."

That got a chuckle out of him.

* * *

After another stretch of running, Alistair and I came upon a house, with one side made almost entirely of windows. I spotted it a ways away, between the trees. Even from here, I could see the sunlight spilling in through the glass and onto the wooden floor.

"Wow," I said softly. "It's beautiful."

Alistair laughed, as though he found my comment ironic. "You like it? It's the Cullen family home."

I stopped in my tracks and Alistair blew past me. _The Cullen family home…_ _Then, is his whole family there now?_

I shut my eyes and listened hard. After a moment of concentration, I could hear many voices blending together harmoniously. _It sounds like a family... Well, not that I'd know what a family sounds like._

I hesitated. _Has Carlisle told them about me? What if he left me to hide me from his real family? Would he be angry if I just showed up?_

Alistair had doubled back. Impatiently, he demanded, "Come on, what's the hold up?"

"He created me," I said softly. "What if he doesn't want his family to know? I don't want to interrupt his family life."

Alistair sighed and scratched his head. "This is too emotional for me. Whatever, I'm going first. You can petrify here, for all I care." With that, he took off towards the house.

* * *

As soon as Alistair disappeared, someone leapt down from the trees avoid and sank their fangs into my shoulder.

I cried out and tried to free myself from their grasp. I felt their hands grip the sides of my head roughly. _They're trying to kill me,_ I realized. I struggled, thrashing about. I reached up and grabbed their wrists, which Alistair had told me were weak points. I started to yank on their wrists to break their grasp on my head, but I found that without my newborn strength, I was at a clear disadvantage.

Suddenly, a blast of wind passed over me and the pressure around my head and shoulders disappeared.

A horrible screeching sound rang out behind me. I whipped around to see a man, clearly a vampire, with chin-length blonde hair ripping the head off of the vampire who had attacked me. He called out loudly, "Edward!"

Another figure blurred past me. The second man, also clearly a vampire, and with bronze hair, stopped by the first and quickly lit a match and dropped it on the vampire's body, and then lit another and set the dying vampire's head aflame.

I gasped and trembled as I saw the vampire's eyes roll back in his dismembered head as the flames ate him up.

The vampire with chin-length blonde hair shouted out, "Alice! Where are the others?"

In response, a melodic voice shouted out a warning from behind me, "They're coming! Two of them – on your left!" I whipped back around to see that the voice belonged to a small-statured, but very energetic-looking female vampire with short black hair.

As she spoke, three more vampires appeared besides her: Alistair appeared besides an extremely strong-looking male vampire with dark curly hair and an elegant female vampire with long and wavy blonde locks.

The vampire named Edward yelled, "Alistair and Rosalie, run and get Carlisle!"

Alistair and the female vampire with blonde hair started to take off, but an enemy vampire suddenly appeared before them. The strong, burly vampire was there in a flash. With a roar, he tackled the enemy vampire into the ground, throwing him down hard enough to make the ground beneath us quiver.

"Emmett!" Rosalie shouted.

"I'm fine! Go!" Emmett yelled.

Both Alistair and Rosalie jumped lithely over the fray and ran out of sight.

 _Carlisle?_ I thought wonderingly. _Did I hear right? Did she say Carlisle?_

Edward, who was standing before me, frowned and turned his head at me.

I stiffened. _Why is he suddenly looking at me?_

But there was no time to ponder.

Just as Alice had predicted, the second enemy vampire was now upon us. But upon seeing her teammate being beaten into the ground by Emmett, she turned tail and fled.

Immediately, both Edward and the other vampire with chin-length blonde hair took off after her. As they raced forward, Edward yelled, "Jasper, she's headed for the glade!"

Meanwhile, Emmett had managed to rip off the other vampire's head. Alice jumped gracefully from the front porch of the house with the glass windows and dropped matches onto the dismembered vampire, who shrieked as he died.

My heart thundered in my chest as I watched the vampire, whose limbs had been torn to pieces, burn into nothingness before my very eyes. _Are they going to do that to me, too? Alistair's not here anymore. Carlisle didn't want me. What if they want to get rid of me? They killed the other vampires so easily. I didn't even know vampires could die that way…_

Trembling from head to foot, I suddenly raced off into the forest.

"Wait!" I heard Alice call behind me, but I was sprinting as fast as I could away from the house. I tried to run diagonally so that I wasn't anywhere near the two male vampires - Edward and Jasper - who had gone chasing after the third female vampire. My newborn strength was gone, and I couldn't run nearly as fast as I used to. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself to move my legs faster. I was so focused on speed that even with my vampire senses and reflexes, a few of the thinner branches caught me, lashing my face and shoulders and legs.

Then, a voice called out, "Annabelle!"

My breath caught and I stopped in my tracks.

_I've longed to hear that voice. It left me so hopelessly in my first life and so abruptly in my second._

I heard the sound of footsteps slow and then stop behind me.

"Annabelle."

My heart leapt into my throat. I wanted to see him so badly, and yet... I was scared to turn around.

"Annabelle, it's me. Carlisle Cullen."

_As if I didn't know… As if I didn't wonder about you every day… How could he speak that way, as though I could forget him? I could never forgot him, no matter how many years passed by in this strange second life of mine..._

I held my breath and then, gripping my hands tightly into fists, I slowly turned around.

* * *

When I saw him standing there, with concern and care etched all over his face, but especially in those kind, somber, light golden eyes, I couldn't hide the flicker of emotion that passed through my eyes. _Carlisle..._

Carlisle's brow furrowed as his eyes took in the thin, but bleeding cuts on my face, shoulders, and legs. He stepped closer to me. I automatically stepped back. His eyes took on that ever-familiar sad look.

_No… No, please don't look like that. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just know you don't want me. You left me for your family._

"Are they -?" My voice caught and I had to start over. I forced myself to wrench my hand open to gesture towards the direction of the house. "Are they your family?"

Carlisle nodded slowly.

"I see why you had to leave," I said softly. I thought of how effortlessly they had worked together – strategic teamwork that was not just about efficiency, but familiarity and trust. They coordinated with each other as though they knew each other like the back of their own hand.

Carlisle looked as though he wasn't sure what to make of my comment. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry."

 _I don't want you to apologize. That's the last thing that I want from you. You gave me so much. Why would you ever apologize to me?_ _It's just that... I can't thank you the way that I want to. Not if what you wish is for me to leave you alone..._

One by one, I felt the defenses around my heart breaking. I tried to explain myself. "If I had known you were all right, I wouldn't have come. I promise you, I had no intention of interrupting your life. I just needed to see that you weren't hurt or in trouble."

Carlisle cautiously stepped towards me, and this time, I let him. _If he wants to kill me, then he may be the one person who has that right – not because he created me, but because I don't want to be apart from him._

Slowly, he approached me. Then, he lifted his hand. I flinched when he reached for my face. He paused, but then he gently touched the cut on my cheek. His touch was so light, and his fingers so cool... It felt like being kissed by the first spring rain.

"I appreciate your concern, but it seems that I'm not the one who's hurt," he murmured. "Come back to the house with me, Annabelle. You need rest."

"Not here," I whispered, barely moving my lips.

"I won't try to keep you," he told me. "You can go wherever you like once you've rested."

My heart fractured a little when I heard him say that, but I expected nothing more.

"Just until you've healed," he repeated gently.

Finally, I nodded.

"Thank you," he said. He started to reach for my hand, but then, as though he thought better of it, he simply turned around and led the way back to the house.

* * *

When Carlisle and I stepped out of the forest together, I immediately felt many pairs of eyes looking at me curiously. I looked down, avoiding their gazes.

But then, a very familiar voice drawled out. "Well, well, and the pleading little puppy found its way home. It must be tired. It did a _lot_ of yelping on the way here."

My head shot up and I saw Alistair sitting on the roof of the house. He jumped down from the roof, landing in front of Carlisle and me. He said, "I'll be off now."

"You're welcome to stay, if you wish," Carlisle replied.

"It's not my wish," Alistair responded straightforwardly. "My pull is leading me elsewhere. I'm certain that you'll be the center of more attacks from the Volturi. Now that they have you where they want you, they'll focus on attacking you and care less about where I go."

"A wise decision," Carlisle said, somewhat amused. "Thank you for looking after Annabelle."

"Hmphf," Alistair grunted. Peering over at me, he asked me abruptly, "And what are you hiding for, little one?"

I stepped out from behind Carlisle. "I'm not hiding," I said. "I wouldn't hide from you."

"Well, maybe you should," he replied solemnly. "Don't see me for at least another century."

I laughed a little. "All right, Alistair. Suit yourself."

With that, he was gone. I turned and watched him run until he was out of sight.

But when I turned back, I realized that I was yet again being watched by many people. I subconsciously shifted a little bit behind Carlisle again, and stepped closer to his back.

"I'll introduce everyone afterwards," Carlisle said. It sounded like he speaking to me, but he was looking at his family. He seemed to look in particular at the petite, pixie-haired girl, almost as though he was warning her not to speak. "For now, let's make sure you're looked after properly." Walking forward, he opened the door to the house and gestured for me to go inside.

* * *

Once we were inside, Carlisle closed the door behind him. "Annabelle, please tell me honestly. Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head.

"Well, it does seem that your cuts and fractures have healed," Carlisle noted, checking me over. He reached forward and gently turned my neck to the side. "Except for this burn…"

He softly ran his fingers over a bronze streak that was burned into my shoulder. I shivered. Carlisle was the same temperature as me, of course, but his fingers felt so cold against the scar on my skin. I remembered that the scar was from the Volturi jail cell bars – that is, they were made of metal from old sun dials.

"That's a strange scar," Carlisle remarked, concerned.

"I'm fine," I reassured Carlisle. "I'm all right now."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Jasper told me one of the vampires the Volturi sent nearly managed to hurt you," Carlisle said.

_Nearly managed to hurt me? More like nearly managed to kill me... But then Jasper ripped his head off, and Edward set the vampire's body on fire... Why did they kill him?_

"You're still tense all over," Carlisle noted. "What would help you relax?"

 _For you to be honest with me,_ I thought. But I couldn't very well say that out loud.

I looked at him uncertainly.

Seeing my confusion, he suggested, "Would a bath help?"

 _I don't see how a bath would make any difference_ , I thought. But, I nodded. _After all, I have traveled for a long time without stopping for a proper shower. Perhaps a bath is what I need. And it'll help me keep my mind off of the horrible things I've seen today…_

"All right. Then, right this way." Carlisle lifted his hand towards the stairs, motioning that I should go first. For a moment, his hand lingered near my waist, but I had already stepped forward, making my way up the stairs.

* * *

When we reached the second floor, Carlisle took the lead and led me to a rather grand bathroom. The glass lights were sculpted into lilies and moonflowers and the counters and floor were made of white marble and pink quartz. I stared in amazement at the luxuriousness of it all.

"Take a bath," Carlisle encouraged me softly. "Go on. I'll bring you a towel."

I walked to the bath rub and turned the faucet on. I sat at the edge of the tub, drawing circles on the tile with my finger as I waited for Carlisle to come back.

"Annabelle?" Carlisle peeked into the bathroom. When he saw me clothed, he walked in. "Here you are," he said, setting the towel down on the counter. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No," I said. "Thank you."

He nodded. He watched me for just a moment, as though there was something he wanted to say. But he stepped out without speaking further, making sure to shut the door securely behind him.

I stripped off my clothes and slid into the bath tub. I curled up, hugging my knees to my chest.

As the warm water pooled around me, I stared into empty space, trying to control the tidal waves of emotion within me.

In such a short span of time, I had felt utmost concern, terror, jealously, relief, and happiness as I had never felt before - all for a man I knew nothing about, except that he was admired by many people. I was just one of those many people, but I could not deny how deeply I cared for him. A strange melancholy descended upon me. _To him, I'm one of many. To me, he's my one and only._

Now I knew why it was important to build up important things in life gradually. My sin was that I had fallen too fast, too quickly, and it showed in my thoughtlessness and inconsideration towards Carlisle and his family. _What am I doing, intruding on their hospitality?_

And yet, I had no real idea of what their intentions were. I was sure that Carlisle didn't mean to harm me, but the others in his family didn't seem to know who I was. _Who's to say how they'll act- how Carlisle will act – once they find out that Carlisle is my creator?_

I rested my head on my knees. I closed my eyes, trying to relax, but that horrible image of the vampire's head going up in flames while his burning body writhed on the ground behind him arose in my head. It was so strange, but I feared death more as a vampire than as a human.

Not wanting to allow those fearsome thoughts take over my mind, I washed myself quickly. After I dried off with a towel, I realized that I was in a rather awkward dilemma. I didn't have any extra clothes on me. With a shrug, I started to reach for my old clothes, despite how worn and dirty they were.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Annabelle? Are you out of the shower?"

I wrapped the towel firmly around myself and opened the door.

Carlisle was standing there, holding a neatly wrapped clothing article of some kind. "Alice said you would be needing this."

"Alice?"

"One of my family," he said simply.

"Oh," I replied. _That's right,_ I remembered. _The petite woman with spiky hair... Her name was Alice._

"Thank you," I said gratefully as I took the bundle from Carlisle. "I'll be right out."

"Sure."

I closed the door and unfolded the clothing on the counter, expecting a shirt and pants to fall out. To my surprise, it was a dress, clearly made of some fabric and tailored in a way that I had never been able to afford or had any reason to wear. It was a pale blue silk dress. There was nothing ornate about it, nor was it revealing. In fact, it was quite simple and casual, but it screamed of decadence all the same. I felt very uncomfortable wearing it, and when I opened the door again to find Carlisle waiting for me, I couldn't quite bring myself to look at his eyes.

There was a pause.

Then, he asked me, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said quietly. "You don't have to worry about me, unless your family decides to get rid of me."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Get rid of you?" he repeated in disbelief. "Why would they think to do that?"

"When they look at me, they see me as a stranger," I answered knowingly.

"Well, yes, it's true that I didn't tell them about you," he admitted. "But they would never harm you, or force you to do anything you didn't want to do."

He stepped closer to me, wanting me to look at him. When I didn't, he sighed silently, but I didn't catch it. I did, however, hear him say, "Annabelle, I promise they won't hurt you."

"Would you like to meet them?" he asked me. "I know they're eager to meet you." I detected a wry note in his last words, but I wasn't sure why.

 _Do I want to meet them? No, not really. The more I have to recognize how deeply connected this family is, the more I realize that I have no place here._ But of course, I had to meet them. It would be nonsensical and rude not to.

"Yes," I said.

He nodded. "Come with me."

* * *

We made our way down the stairs and went into the living room, where everyone had gathered.

"Everyone," Carlisle said, "I would like you to meet Annabelle."

"Hello," I said, a bit nervously. Seven pairs of eyes gazed at me curiously.

"This is Emmett and Rosalie," Carlisle said, gesturing towards the burly-looking vampire and the vampire with long, golden hair. They both nodded at me.

"This is Jasper and Alice." The woman with the short pixie hair offered me a bright smile. The man besides her with honey-colored, chin-length hair did not relax his stiff demeanor. I paused when I realized that his skin was covered in little crescents. His eyes tightened a little, but before I became too anxious, I felt a slight shift in my mood. I suddenly felt calmer.

"Hello, Jasper," I murmured.

He gave me a formal nod, but there was something like a smile playing at his lips.

"Jasper," the bronze-haired man glanced over at him with a small smile. "Don't enjoy yourself too much."

"Just trying to help," Jasper replied quietly.

"This is Edward and Bella, and their daughter, Renesmee," Carlisle said finally. The bronze-haired man who had just spoken nodded at me, and the woman with long, dark brown hair waved. Her daughter, who didn't seem to be much younger than them, at least judging off of physical appearance, waved at me as well.

"Hello," I repeated. "As Carlisle said, my name is Annabelle."

"I've never met you before. How do you know Carlisle?" Emmett asked, lifting his eyebrow.

"Well…" I glanced over at Carlisle. _You're my creator. But, do you want them to know that? Or are you ashamed of me? You won't meet my gaze. Why won't you look at me?_ I shifted uncomfortably.

"Carlisle?" Edward suddenly spoke aloud, stunned.

"Yes, Edward," Carlisle said quickly. "It's true."

"What?" Bella said, looking up at Edward. "What is it?"

Edward kept his eyes on Carlisle. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you bring her with you when you returned from London?"

"All right. Tell us what the hell's going on," Emmett interjected. "Don't have your mind conversations all to yourself, Edward."

"What did you find out?" Bella pressed.

"Carlisle made her..." Edward said slowly. His brow furrowed, as though he couldn't believe what he himself was saying. "Carlisle is Annabelle's... creator."

Abruptly, Alice let out a sigh of release, as though she'd finally understood something. But other than Alice, everyone else seemed completely stunned at Edward's revelation. Surprised and curious eyes swiveled onto me.

Feeling embarrassed and nervous, I shrank back within myself. Holding my hands behind my back, I clasped them together nervously.

Carlisle, who was standing right next to me, noticed. "Annabelle," he murmured, "you're all right. No one in this room will hurt you."

Alice gave Jasper a meaningful look, and Jasper looked over at me. A moment later, my hands slid apart as I started to relax, for some unknown reason.

"What are you doing to me?" I asked Jasper, almost hissing. I stepped backwards, away from him.

"Not subtle enough," Edward remarked to Jasper.

Jasper seemed irritated, but he just shook his head.

"It's not something that should be controlled that way," Carlisle said. "We have to show her that she can trust us, and that takes time." He turned to me. "Speaking of time, you must have had a long day, Annabelle. I've traveled with Alistair before. He keeps a somewhat grueling pace. Would you like to rest? I can show you to my old room, and you can have it to yourself."

"I'm not sure that I should stay," I replied. I looked at the others in the room, asking for their permission with my eyes and body language.

But Carlisle didn't look at them. He shook his head and replied before any of his family members could. "No, you should stay. We don't know when the Volturi might attack again, and I cannot allow you to get caught up in that. You would be hurt, you see, and I can't have that."

Not a single member of his family spoke up to reinforce Carlisle's invitation. A nearly unbearable feeling of embarrassment rose within me. Jasper lifted his eyebrow, as though confused.

I quickly looked away from both Carlisle and Jasper.

Reading the hesitation in my expression and in my body language, Carlisle sighed and said gently, "If you truly wish to leave, I can try to escort you to safety. I wouldn't ask you to stay if you're uncomfortable. But please, consider your own safety. As you might have guessed by now, someone is after us, and we're not sure of how best to defend ourselves yet. Again, I promise I don't mean to keep you. You're free to leave us as soon as this is over."

" _Again, I promise I don't mean to keep you."_ Those words flashed through me again. _That's right. He doesn't want me here, either. It really must be about my safety. Otherwise, he would want me to go…_ "All right," I said quietly. "I'll stay."

Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed Edward and Jasper trade looks again. Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella still seemed a bit wary. Renesmee was watching me curiously, and her eyes flickered between me and Carlisle a few times. Alice had an odd expression on her face, as though she was watching something that was moving quickly.

Carlisle seemed to let out a silent sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said. "If you're tired, I can show you to your room."

 _Vampires don't get tired,_ I thought. _But, if I'm honest about it, I am tired. I feel so much doubt about everything, and it's exhausting. I feel like I can't breathe._

"Relax." I looked over at Jasper, who was speaking to me. "As Carlisle said, we're not going to hurt you. Don't be so afraid of us."

Carlisle also looked at Jasper. "Thank you, Jasper."

"Now, come," he said to me, "I'll show you where you can rest."

* * *

I followed Carlisle down the hallway, shooting one last look over my shoulder at everyone in the living room before we turned the corner.

"It's an old room, and we haven't had the chance to clean it," Carlisle told me, as he opened a door and flipped a switch. "We only arrived a few days again, and it's been years since we lived in this area."

My jaw dropped open as I saw the shelves and shelves of books in the room. There was a small chandelier in the ceiling, and underneath it, a bed that looked as though it had not been touched since it had been set up.

I walked forward and stared at the books. There were books on art and religion, history and philosophy, and of course, medicine.

I put my hand gently on the spine of a particularly elegant-looking medical book.

"You're free to read whatever you like, of course," Carlisle told me. He was trying to fluff out the dust on the sheets.

"Thank you," I said. I slipped the book off of the shelf and opened the front cover. Inside the front cover, in elegant script, his name was inked in: _Dr._ _Carlisle Cullen._

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen," I read aloud.

Carlisle turned around, surprised, when he heard me saying his name.

"Yes?" He walked over to me.

I showed him the inside cover, where his name was written. "It's you. Well, your name," I stated the obvious.

He laughed a little. "Yes, it is."

I closed the book. _"The Humanity of Medicine..._ " I read aloud. " _Published 1955._ "

My eyes fell to the bottom of the title page, in which the date " _March 5, 1959"_ had been inked in the same black ink that Carlisle's name had been written in. I looked up at Carlisle and asked, "I'm curious. Where could you have bought this in 1959?"

Carlisle smiled again, but this time a bit more wearily. He replied, "Actually, this book was a gift."

"A gift?"

He replied in a soft voice, "From Esme."

I remembered what Aro had revealed to me: _"Esme was Carlisle's wife. Didn't you know?"_

"Oh…"

"You never got to meet her, but she was… she was my other half for a long time," Carlisle told me. "I know that she would have been very happy to meet you."

I didn't know what to say to that.

After a long moment, I said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"I know you didn't." Carlisle gave me a sad, though sorrowful smile. "Don't worry yourself about that. You should focus on resting."

"I've tried to make the bed comfortable for you," he said graciously. "If it's not, please let me know." With a nod, he started to move past me.

"Do you -?" I paused, halting the question that had started slipping out of my mouth.

Carlisle, who was at the door, turned back to look at me. "Yes?"

_Do you regret creating me?_

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm sorry."

Carlisle wavered between whether to press or not press, before he finally said, "Get some rest, Annabelle." Then, he slipped out of the room.

I slowly closed the book and replaced it on the bookshelf. I walked over to the bed and lay down on it. But when I shut my eyes, I saw the title page in my mind, and the name written in black ink: _Dr._ _Carlisle Cullen._

Then, slowly, the page began to rip into several pieces, and then - to burn into nothingness...


	16. Glass Nocturne

Carlisle Cullen's POV

I rejoined my family downstairs. I knew, of course, that they were hungry for answers. But I didn't want Annabelle to hear us and think we were trying to discuss her in her absence. Although I fully recognized that I owed my family answers, Annabelle should be in all of those discussions and be allowed her own voice. No person could speak on behalf of another, but especially not for someone like Annabelle, whose mind ran the spectrum from imaginative dreams to strong principles.

It amazed me that her eyes were pure light gold. She had never given in to temptation, even after I left. She was truly a strong-minded person, to the point that it unnerved me. _She can do anything she puts her mind to. Why would she wish to stay with me and my family? No, she feels trapped here, as though I've put her life on pause._ Even today, only a few moments after our reunion, I saw the hesitation on her face when I asked her to stay. She didn't want to be here, and I had no right to ask her to stay when I'd abandoned her so quickly after turning her.

Edward's voice suddenly broke my ruminations. "These aren't thoughts... Is she dreaming?"

"If she is, it's a nightmare," Jasper said, frowning.

"Yes, she can sleep, and dream," I replied.

Edward blinked. "My God," he murmured softly, "she's dreaming of dying."

"Dying?" Bella repeated. "As a human, you mean?"

Edward shook his head. "No. As a vampire."

"Of course," Rosalie remarked, a bit dryly. "After seeing us all massacre vampires today, it's bound to be traumatic. Especially if she never saw something like that before. I don't blame her for being wary of us."

We heard a soft cry from down the hallway. It was closer to a whimper, but we could all hear it.

Before I was fully aware of what I was doing, I found myself opening the door to the bedroom where Annabelle was sleeping. I knelt beside the bed and reaching over, I gently shook her awake.

She started, sitting up immediately. Her bright eyes flashed in panic and darted around the room wildly. She reached up and pressed her hands against her neck, as if to make sure no one was trying to rip her head off at this very moment.

"Annabelle," I called to her gently, trying to calm her. "Annabelle."

She was still trembling violently.

"Look at me," I said to her.

Finally, her eyes found mine.

"C-Carlisle?"

It did not escape my notice that this was the first time she addressed me by my first name, as opposed to "Dr. Cullen," but now was not the time for that.

"Yes, I'm here." I held her gaze as I explained, as calmly as I could, "You had a bad dream. But it was only a dream. None of it was real."

Out in the hallway, I could just make out a rustle as Jasper stayed out of sight, but slowly began to send calming vibes into the room.

"Would it help if we talked about it?" I asked. "Rosalie mentioned that you may have seen some things that upset you today."

"She did?"

"Yes, about when we were attacked today, and we fought back and killed some of the other vampires."

"Oh." Annabelle suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. She looked down at her hands. Her hair fell forward slightly, so that I couldn't see her face. I fought the urge to reach over and tuck her hair back. I wanted to see what she was thinking and how she was feeling.

"It's silly," she said finally. "It doesn't make any sense for me to be afraid of dying."

"Of course it does," I pushed back gently. "We're all afraid of it at some level or another."

"Yes, but I always knew I was going to die," she replied. "Even before you turned me. And now that you've given me this second life, why am I even more greedy for this life than the last? I should recognize that I'm living off of borrowed time, instead of being paralyzed at the thought of losing it…"

I sighed. "I should have stayed with you longer. We should have talked about these things before I left you on your own."

 _I would have, if the Volturi hadn't been hunting me and everyone I cared about,_ I thought grimly.

"You did tell me that vampires could die," Annabelle pointed out. "It's not as though you left me thinking we were incapable of dying altogether."

"Yes, but seeing it with your own eyes was bound to affect you differently," I pointed out. "Mortality is a universal enough concept, until it happens to one specifically. Then, a different calculus sets into motion altogether."

Annabelle managed a small smile at me. "You always know just what to say."

"Because I've struggled with the same questions," I replied gently.

Annabelle nodded, accepting my underlying proposition - that it was natural to be afraid, and that she could be vulnerable with me without feeling as though I would think worse of her in any way.

 _Tell me what's on your mind,_ I almost spoke such words aloud, but I held back and waited for her to speak first. And thankfully, she did.

"There's something else, though," Annabelle said quietly. Her hands gripped into fists. I was worried she was going to dig her fingernails into her palms.

"Would it help if you held my hand?" I asked her.

She paused.

"Here," I said. I sat on the edge of the bed and I placed my hand on the covers besides her, leaving the choice up to her.

She slowly slid her hand into mine and grasped it.

"Thank you," she told me, and her voice was soft. "You did this for me at the hospital, too."

I squeezed her hand gently in mine, and I waited for her to go on.

"I've never not been able to control my dreams," Annabelle said heavily. "This was the first time where I was trapped. I knew it was a dream, but I couldn't wake up or switch dreamscapes or anything. I couldn't escape. I was completely helpless. I had to die."

"My dreams... They used to be beautiful... A false world, yes, but at least the temporary illusions helped me to breath and move forward with my life. But now - " She covered her face with her other hand. "It feels like my safe haven got taken away from me."

I heard a soft rustle out in the hallway, and I knew that Jasper was retreating. _Her sadness and panic must be overwhelming him,_ I realized. I knew that if Annabelle wasn't a vampire, she would be sobbing her heart out right now. I remembered that even before she was turned into a vampire, her dreams were her reliable escape. When family failed her and medicine failed her, she was still free to go wherever she wanted in her dreams. It was the one aspect of her life that let her go beyond the window. And now she felt like she lost it.

My heart broke for her, and before I knew it, I had gently but firmly pulled her into my arms. She seemed surprised, but she didn't resist. Instead, she buried her face against my shoulder and neck and her hands curled up against my chest. Little, soft gasps came out from between her lips as she tried to get back her sense of control. I held her against me and hoped that she would feel some sense of stability and comfort as she made her way back to herself.

* * *

Some time passed, and she was much calmer in my arms.

I felt her move a little and I looked at her. I turned my head just as she lifted hers. We both paused. Our faces were so close to each other's. We had nearly bumped noses. She blinked.

"Carlisle?" she murmured, both puzzled and a little embarrassed.

The way she said my name, calling to me like that, made my mind dizzy. _What is going on with me?_ I wondered. With our heightened senses, suddenly all I could feel and taste and see and smell and hear was her. I forced myself to speak. "Are you all right now?"

"Yes…"

I let her go, drawing my arms back from around her. She fell back a little, sitting on the bed, still close to me, but no longer touching.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she said, a bit ruefully.

"Not at all," I replied. "As your creator, I should have been with you from the beginning."

I thought I sensed some disappointment in her when I said "as your creator," which confused me. _Why would she be disappointed in my acknowledging that fact? Most likely, she's still angry that I abandoned her so shortly after her creation._ I sighed and stood up from the bed.

"Thank you, Carlisle," she said to me.

"Not at all," I replied easily. Then, I allowed myself a little smile.

"What?" she asked, catching it quickly.

"You're calling me Carlisle," I pointed out.

"Yes…?"

"Instead of Dr. Cullen."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "I must have picked it up from Alistair." She seemed a bit embarrassed.

"It's strange," I said honestly. "But I prefer it."

"You do?"

"Yes, I - "

Just then, I heard a knock at the doorway.

"Sorry for interrupting," Bella said. She was holding her phone in one hand and she looked grim. "But Jacob's here. Would you be able to see him now?"

"Sure," I said. I followed Bella out.

* * *

Jacob Black was waiting in the living room. He was accompanied by both his daughter, Shauna Black, as well as Sam Uley.

As I walked in, Jacob was hugging Renesmee. He was, as Renesmee put it, her "favorite wolf uncle".

"Hi Nessie," Jacob was saying brightly.

"Jake, I said not to call her that," Bella snapped.

Renesmee laughed lightly at the never-ending feud between her mother and her uncle.

I greeted the three shapeshifters before me. "Jacob. Sam. And Shauna, how are you?"

"All better, like you said," Shauna replied.

"Good."

"Dr. Cullen," Sam said, "it's good to see you again. But this isn't just a social visit."

"No, I thought not," I said quietly. "We certainly have some explaining to do, especially when we originally planned not to return to Forks for many years."

"Why are these other vampires after you?" Sam asked. "And why did they come here?"

"We're fairly certain that these vampires are sent by the Volturi," I answered. It pained me to speak of my old brothers this way, but it was the truth. Normally, Esme would pick up on the pain in my voice. She would put her hand on my arm. But she wasn't here anymore. Because of them. The Volturi.

Besides me, Alice nodded. "I haven't seen any movement in my visions from anyone other than the Volturi. It's possible, but unlikely, that it's someone other than them."

"They're here because of what happened twenty-five years ago with Renesmee, aren't they?" Jacob asked. "When they brought witnesses to turn them against us, but it ended up backfiring. They saw that Renesmee was no danger to the vampire way of life, and they ended up having to lie through their teeth and drag us into battle."

"Yes," I said somberly. "They lost a lot of credibility that day because they stepped over the boundaries of their own law. While vampires are not by any means a singular tight-knit community, we respect each other enough not to harm one another. The Volturi unfortunately broke that law that day."

"Rumors spread as well," Rosalie said. "People supported us and began to speak ill of the Volturi."

"I imagine that didn't sit well with them," Jacob commented wryly.

"No, they began to send renegade vampires after those who had stood on our side at the gathering," I acknowledged.

"A clever strategy," Jasper put in. "Pitting those who saw too much on the Volturi side with those who saw too much on our side. Have one side wipe the other out. In either case, the Volturi wins. It's a clean and convenient erasure of truth. You only have truth if someone witnessed it."

Sam hesitated, weighing this information. Then, he said, "Dr. Cullen, I have the greatest respect for you. I never thought I would say that to a vampire, but I mean it. However, we know what this is really about. It's not just truth, is it? It's about power. And although I wish your family the best and will fight to guarantee their safety, it is true that in the vampire community, you are a threat to the Volturi by the sheer number of vampires in your family."

Jacob nodded. "It would be as if a rival tribe decided to grow alongside ours."

"Exactly," Sam said. "It's as you said, Dr. Cullen. Vampires are not by any means a singular tight-knit community. But when you ask, they become one. Even if you have no future intention of utilizing that power that you hold, you have in the past, and you are capable of doing so. That, I suspect, is why the Volturi are so determined to hunt you down."

"I do not wish to think so ill of the Volturi," I said softly. "But at the same time, I cannot ignore there is truth in your words, Sam. Why else would they kill Esme, when we did nothing wrong?" My voice broke.

Alice reached down and took my hand.

Jacob looked at Carlisle with both a sympathetic and pitying expression. He remembered the times that Esme had cared for him and Leah and Seth when they had to watch over Bella from Sam and the others. "I'm sorry -" he started to say, but then he paused. He stepped to the side, looking over Emmett's shoulder.

Then, Jacob's eyes widened.

"What?" Shauna asked. "Dad, what is it?"

"Jacob - " Edward began, but Jacob interrupted him.

"I thought I caught a new scent. But it's been so long that I wasn't sure," Jacob said. "Carlisle, who is that?"

We all turned around. I caught a flash of blue silk whip around the corner to hide.

"Annabelle, is that you?" I asked, knowing full well it was.

Uncertain eyes peeked out from around the corner.

"Don't hide," I said. "Come join us."

Annabelle slipped out from behind the corner. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to startle anyone."

"Why were you hiding?" Rosalie said suspiciously.

"I didn't want to interrupt," Annabelle replied. "And also… your guests…"

"Yes?" Jacob said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Um, well, you don't exactly… smell friendly," she said nervously.

"You all don't smell like a bunch of roses either," Shauna suddenly said, snorting.

"Shauna, don't," Sam warned her. "Who is she, Carlisle?"

"A… friend," I replied.

"Then why do I smell you all over her?" Jacob asked me, lifting an eyebrow.

I sighed. I could either admit that I'd spent the last twenty minutes before this gathering embracing her or I could tell Jacob the truth that he was really after and save both Annabelle and myself the embarrassment.

Reluctantly, I went with the latter. "Because I created her."

Sam growled angrily. Jacob stepped in front of him and put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

Instinctively, Emmett jumped forward, too. I shook my head at him. "Emmett…" I warned.

"See? You are creating a coven, Carlisle, whether you think of it that way or not!" Sam said angrily.

Annabelle, intuitively sensing a wolf's aggression, hissed, showing her fangs.

Then, Shauna growled and started to shiver.

"Shauna, no!" Jacob shouted. "Sam, step down! Shauna, control yourself!"

As calmly as I could, I said, "Annabelle, please step back."

Annabelle blinked and looked over at me. Then, feeling as though she had made a mistake, she quickly jumped back behind the corner. Jasper frowned slightly and glanced over his shoulder down the hallway. Once again, he seemed confused, as though he was feeling emotions from Annabelle that he wasn't expecting.

Before I could say or do anything, though, Rosalie's temper burst. "What's it to you?" Rosalie hissed furiously, stepping up besides Emmett. "We don't keep track of your _pups_."

"That's because werewolves don't turn humans into vampires!" Sam said, still bristling. "But whenever you lot come back here, you trigger our tribe into becoming a _pack_ again."

" _Sam_ ," Jacob warned.

Sam took a deep breath and stepped back, shaking his head to control himself.

"Carlisle, Annabelle – she's - " Jasper began.

I shook my head at him, not wanting to discuss anything about Annabelle in front of everyone. I was uncomfortable with how everyone was treating her – talking about her to _me_ rather than approaching her directly and talking about her almost like she was a thing instead of a person. _It's my fault,_ I realized. _Bo_ _th my family and the werewolves are reacting negatively to her because everyone sees her as a complication. But she doesn't deserve this._ I knew how strong she was and how kind she was, and I didn't find it appropriate to speak for her in any capacity, at least until she had had a chance to speak for herself.

"Annabelle," I called. "Please come and join us."

She came back out. Alice stepped away from me and to Jasper's side, and I reached out and guided Annabelle to my side.

"Annabelle, these are the leaders of the Quileute pack – Sam Uley and Jacob Black, and this is Jacob's daughter, Shauna," I introduced them. "They are werewolves, or wolf-shifters, and they are our old allies. Without them, we wouldn't be standing here now."

"Well, actually," Jacob said, "the leader of the Quileute pack is Shauna. Sam and I are technically just Elders now. We're no longer Alphas. We both handed down our positions to Shauna at the last council meeting."

_Ah, so that's why they brought her along. She's the one who's now authorized to make decisions._

"I'm sorry if I insulted you," Annabelle offered quietly. "That wasn't my intention."

"I'm sorry if I startled you, girl," Sam replied gruffly. "Don't take it personally. It's just that things are getting urgent on our end."

"Urgent?" Bella asked. "What do you mean?"

Jacob traded a look with Shauna. Shauna nodded. Jacob sighed and told us, "Another boy phased for the first time today. That makes four, and the time between our children phasing is getting shorter and shorter. You know what this means."

"Yes, it's not long until the entire generation phases," I said morosely. "You're right. It's our fault." All of the heaviness I had felt at coming back to Forks suddenly returned to me. "We're large enough numbers on our own for shapeshifter genes to pick us up as threats, but with the Volturi scouts that I'm sure are still out there, it's not surprising that the tribe members are phasing."

Shauna frowned. "But these – these Volturi scouts, or whoever you're talking about, they were around before you and your family were. Why is that?"

Jasper lifted an eyebrow at her, impressed by her thoughtfulness.

"How did you know that?" he asked Shauna.

"Because it was one of _them_ that made me transform," Shauna replied.

Jacob looked at his daughter. "I thought you said it was Grandpa's passing."

"I think that contributed, but I ran into a vampire the same night Grandpa passed…" Shauna said, suddenly looking a bit guilty.

But Jacob reached out his arm and wrapped it securely around his daughter's shoulders. "Thank God you're all right," he murmured.

"The Volturi came here to lure _us_ here," Alice answered Shauna's question. "We were scattered all over the world before this. Edward, Bella, and Renesmee were in Chile. Emmett and Rosalie were in Alaska. Jasper and I were in Greenland. Carlisle was in England. Plus, everyone who came to Renesmee's defense had taken pains to make themselves scarce in the past twenty-five years. The Volturi are getting desperate. They finally realized that if they started to cause mayhem here, our ties to your tribe, including Bella's father, would force us to come back."

"I see," Jacob said grimly. "They realized that either by their presence or your presence, we would start to phase again, and it would force you to come back because of your ties with us and to protect Charlie."

"It was also the most convenient way to keep an eye on your pack," Jasper explained. "Vampires' gifts don't work on werewolves, even shape-shifting werewolves. You disappear from our supernatural sights. But in close proximity, they could keep an eye on you and prevent you from helping us without our knowledge.

Sam sighed. "It looks like they got us good."

"Do the Volturi know about Annabelle?" Jacob asked, nodding at her.

"No," I said. "Though they might suspect now."

Edward stiffened. He looked up at Annabelle, frowning deeply. "That's not true," he muttered. "You've met them before, haven't you?"

Annabelle glanced between Jacob, Edward, and me. I looked at her, surprised. "You have?"

She nodded. "Yes, the first time I came here to look for you with Alistair, we were both captured by Volturi guards and brought to them. They kept us in the jail there for a time."

"What? In jail? But you've committed no crime," I said, surprised.

"I asked to stay with Alistair," Annabelle replied. "I didn't want to leave him there."

"And what was his 'crime'?" Edward asked, already knowing the answer.

"Aro said that it had to do with events before I was created," Annabelle replied. "Alistair later told me that you gathered witnesses against them to prove that - "

Renesmee shifted uncomfortably, and Annabelle, catching on quickly and realizing that Renesmee was, in fact, the very child from twenty-five years ago, immediately fell silent.

Though Renesmee didn't say anything, Edward read her thoughts and blurted out, "No, it's not your fault."

Bella reached out and embraced her daughter.

I shut my eyes. _This has gone on for too long._

"How did you get out?" Emmett asked Annabelle curiously, partly to change the direction of the conversation. "The Volturi jail is supposed to be a fortress."

"Alistair and I knocked out a guard and pressed his emblem against the gates. I was able to use my newborn strength to pry apart the metal bars and slip out," Annabelle replied.

Suddenly, I realized why her shoulder had a bronze scar marked onto it. I'd been down in the Volturi prison before, a long time ago. Aro had decided to show me his vision of "justice" and "security."

_"The metal bars are made of re-cast sun metal. Isn't that just ingenious, Carlisle? It took me many years to find a mortal whose powers would manifest into a vampire with the special ability to work with such metal, but it was well worth it," Aro assured me._

_"A vampire who can work with sun metal? How is such a thing possible?" I wondered._

_"Well," Aro said, his eyes glimmering, "there is, of course, a high price to pay for such an ability. But believe me, it exists."_

"Wait a minute," Rosalie said, and her sharp voice pulled me back to the present. "There's no way you could have done that without drawing attention. The Volturi are supposed to have eyes and ears everywhere in that place. Why weren't you ambushed as you tried to escape?"

"Did anyone try to follow you as you ran away?" Alice asked Annabelle, trying to soften Rosalie's question.

Annabelle thought about it. Then, slowly, she shook her head.

"Traitor!" Rosalie burst out. Besides her, Emmett growled and stepped towards Annabelle, meaning to restrain her.

"Rosalie! Emmett!" I raised my voice and pushed Annabelle behind me, reaching back to keep her between my arms and against my back. "Both of you, calm down. We can't assume -"

"Think about it, Carlisle!" Rosalie said, gritting her teeth. "This is _exactly_ how the Volturi operate."

"That's true..." Edward said slowly. "Every single vampire they've sent after us came from their jails."

Jasper nodded. "Yes, the Volturi release them so that the fugitives will come after us and grant them clemency if they bring us to them, or use the fugitives to track them to us and kill them if the Volturi think they'll join us instead."

"See, Carlisle? Rose is right," Emmett backed her up. "This is textbook."

"I am _not_ a traitor," Annabelle retorted furiously. "Alistair and I were in the Volturi's _prisons_ , for God's sake - "

"As was every other vampire who's come after us so far," Rosalie shot back.

Annabelle snarled loudly.

"She's telling the truth," Edward said, reading her mind. "At least, she means it when she says that she broke out of the prisons with Alistair. But as to whether she made a deal or not with the Volturi, I can't tell."

"I'm telling you I didn't!" Annabelle snapped. "And get the hell out of my mind!"

I could feel Annabelle trembling against my back, not with fear, but with a will to fight. Her flight-or-fight risk was very clearly "fight."

With the strong aggression between Rosalie, Emmett, and Annabelle, Shauna was also instinctively feeling threatened.

"Easy there," Jacob said, gripping Shauna's shoulder.

"Annabelle," I said, turning my head back to look at her. "Annabelle, please. Listen to me." I felt her grip the back of my shirt tightly, but she stilled.

Sam blew out a breath. "What a mess."

Shauna closed her eyes tightly and breathed heavily as she resisted the survival instinct to phase in the face of aggression.

Jasper concentrated, sending out waves of comfort over everyone.

"I suggest we meet again once we've had time to think things through on both sides," I finally suggested. "At least, it seems that we have a lot to discuss on our end."

Jacob nodded. "Fine, we'll adjourn for tonight." He led Sam and Shauna out.

After they left, Bella sighed and fell back against the couch. "We need to find a solution to all this, and soon. I know it took Jake and the others a long time to find their footing again." She paused and then said softly, "Like us."

Her statement had a heavy echo as we all thought of Esme. Annabelle shifted behind me. I felt her let go of my shirt and move out of my grasp. She moved quickly, stepping between Alice and Rosalie. A few seconds later, we all heard the door to my old bedroom shut.

"Carlisle. What the hell were you thinking?" Rosalie asked me.

"Carlisle didn't know that the Volturi knew of her existence either," Edward said quickly.

"That's not what I meant. My point is – what are you doing _trusting_ her?" Rosalie pressed.

"She did nothing wrong," I replied quietly. "If anything, I'm the one that she can't trust. I've thrown her into the deep end with no anchor."

I turned away and made my way down to the hallway. But when I came to the bedroom door, I paused. _I don't know if I should go in. Am I intruding on her privacy? Am I forcing my presence onto her? I don't mean to be patronizing._

Edward appeared behind me. Keeping his voice low, he murmured, "You should go in, if that's what you want."

"I would think she doesn't want to see me," I replied, ashamed.

Edward shook his head. "She's upset because she feels confused and as though she can't defend herself in fear of hurting you somehow, either by hurting your family or breaking our alliance. She doesn't understand what's going on. But what she's most afraid of is upsetting you."

"Upsetting me…? How could she upset me?" I wondered.

"She regrets coming here," Edward said, focusing on her thoughts. "She thinks she's made life difficult for you."

"If that's not the case, you should go in there and reassure her. Jasper said that her emotions of confusion and insecurity are overwhelming him."

I sighed. _I'm sorry, Jasper,_ I thought. I also felt regret for challenging Rosalie, when I knew that she intended the best.

"Edward," I said, "will you make sure Rosalie is all right? I'm afraid I angered her when I stood between her and Annabelle. I know Rosalie has her heart in the right place. I just couldn't leave Annabelle defenseless, especially when I dragged her into this mess."

Edward nodded.

"Thank you, son," I said.

Edward looked at me when I said the word "son". He hesitated and then he said, "I have to admit, Carlisle. I don't find this easy either. I know she's not your mate or anything, but…" He didn't say it out loud, but I knew that he was thinking of Esme. He felt as though I was betraying everyone by creating a female vampire after Esme's death. My heart twisted in pain at the thought of Esme, and the pain became sharper when I thought that my family saw me as betraying Esme's memory.

"Edward..." I began.

Edward shook his head. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. I'll leave now." He quickly turned away from me and headed back towards the living room, where the others were still gathered.

For a solid ten minutes after Edward left, I stayed with my hand on the doorknob, wondering whether I should go to Annabelle or not. But Edward's words stayed with me: _"I have to admit, Carlisle. I don't find this easy either. I know she's not your mate or anything, but…"_

Finally, my hand slipped from the doorknob, and I walked away from the bedroom without seeing Annabelle.


	17. Hollow in the Redwood

Shauna Black's POV 

_.. More independent, you know? Not a team person..._

_Yeah, she's our ace, but not a leader -_

_Sh, I think she's phasing…_

_Liam. Quil._

_Hey, Billie._

_Hi, Billie._

_How are you guys holding up?_ I asked them through our mental link. _Phasing not so scary anymore?_

 _Yeah, yeah,_ Quil snorted, _you don't need to baby us._

Quil had phased for the first time only a couple days after Liam had phased. Quil had been less afraid because he had known what to expect. In fact, Quil seemed to be rather pleased that he wasn't left out of the pack. Speaking of missing pack members- _Where's Theo?_ I wondered.

 _He should be here any minute,_ Liam replied.

 _What are we doing today?_ Quil asked me.

 _Just running perimeter,_ I replied.

 _We're not going to go after the vampires?_ Quil said, surprised.

_No._

_But Theo said he thought we could catch them if we all went together._

_Maybe,_ I acknowledged. _But we're not going to do that._

_Why's that?_

_Because the higher the chance of confrontation near the reservation, the more vampire presence, and the more likely it is that someone new is going to phase._

_Well, is that bad?_ Liam wondered. _It would help to have large numbers right now. And being a werewolf's not so bad._

 _We're not going over this again,_ I said, sighing. _Just stick to perimeter._

Theo's voice joined the pack. _Sorry I'm late. My dad was just catching me up on what happened yesterday at the Cullens. Billie, what did you think of them?_

 _What? You went and met with them?_ Liam asked me. _How come you didn't say?_

 _Because nothing's been decided yet,_ I replied.

 _Hey, Theo, remember we were talking about going about the vampires today?_ Quil mentioned.

 _Yes._ Theo turned to me. _Billie, what do you think of making another attempt? Between the four of us, we should have a fair shot._

 _No,_ I said firmly. _Our priority is to protect, not catch._

 _That's not what you believed before,_ Liam thought, _when you went racing after the vampire all on your own and Theo had to go save you._

 _Well, that's because the goal was to end things as quickly as possible without the Elders figuring out what I was up to. Now that they know, there's no point,_ I explained wearily. My patience was wearing thin. _Listen,_ I said, _I'd like to make it back in time for dinner. Let's start running perimeter._

We split. Liam and I, as the faster runners, took off together in one direction. Theo and Quil raced off in the other.

But our mental link kept us connected, so that our conversation continued.

 _You know, I find it creepy that we have an alliance with any bloodsuckers at all,_ Quil thought. _Aren't they naturally our enemies? How can we trust them?_

 _Circumstance over nature, I guess,_ I said, mentally shrugging.

 _But that's old times,_ Quil replied. _Why now?_

 _What do you mean?_ I asked.

 _I just don't see why we need to honor the alliance now,_ Quil said honestly. _I'm not saying we shouldn't. I'm just saying we need more information about what's going on right now before we decide who to trust. Don't you think?_

 _I would like more information,_ Liam agreed. _Why are these vampires different?_

 _That's why we should catch one of the vampire on the so-called other side,_ Quil advocated. _We can get more information from them and figure out whether to trust the Cullens or not._

 _No,_ I disagreed. _The vampires on the other side would have every incentive to lie to us. They want to split us apart. It's better to trust our parents than to rely on enemy information._

 _That's true. But we should make up our minds on our own. Treaty or not, we shouldn't blindly follow the generation before us,_ Theo said thoughtfully.

 _Exactly,_ Quil agreed.

I fell silent, tired of this argument. We'd been re-hashing this argument ever since Quil joined the pack.

When we finished running perimeter, I said, _Good run. Let's call it a night. I'll see you all tomorrow morning._

 _For another perimeter run?_ Quil said, with more than a tinge of sarcasm.

Not bothering to answer, I phased back.

Naturally, I didn't hear the conversation between the three of them afterwards.

* * *

Theo Uley's POV

_Theo, wait,_ Quil called to me, right before I followed Billie and phased back.

 _What is it?_ I asked. Still in my wolf form, I turned around to face Quil and Liam, who were also still in their wolf forms. Quil was a large, gray wolf, but with a white patch framing his eyes and snout, and a slightly reddish tinge all over. Liam was a smaller and sleeker wolf, with light gray fur except for the fur covering his paws, which were a soft, almost blue-black. They were sitting side-by-side, as though they'd planned beforehand to ask me something.

 _What?_ I repeated.

I saw flashes of Liam's and Quil's thoughts, both pondering and hesitant as to how to phrase whatever they wanted to ask.

Finally, Liam said, _You know, my Dad told me that your father, Sam, was Alpha before Jacob was._

I nodded. _That's true. So what?_

Liam paused before he asked, in a quiet voice, _Don't you want to take up your father's mantle?_

I blinked, surprised by Liam's question. Uneasily, I said, _We have an Alpha already._

 _Cut the shit,_ Quil retorted. _You know that's not what we're asking._

I shook my head at them. _You two don't want me as Alpha. You just think you do because we agree that we want to go after the vampires, and Billie doesn't._

 _Right,_ Quil said. _So, you disagree with her, too._

 _Yes, but…_ I sighed. Quil's words weren't wrong, but that wasn't the point. I tried to explain, _Yes,_ _I disagree with her. But that doesn't change the fact that she cares more about our pack than any of us do._

 _What do you mean?_ Liam asked.

 _The three of us, we're willing to sacrifice ourselves and each other to catch these vampires,_ I said. _Billie's not. She doesn't want to see a single one of us get hurt._

I could see that both Quil and Liam weren't convinced by what I was saying. And I understood their hesitance. After all, Liam and Quil hadn't seen Billie risk her life to keep her family safe... But I had. Billie was reckless, yes, but she was willing to put everything on the line in order to protect others. Therefore, while I didn't agree with her, I did trust her.

I attempted to convey my feelings to Quil and Liam once more, saying, _I don't agree with Billie because I personally don't think we'll get hurt if we all go together, but that doesn't mean I don't respect her thinking. She's trying to protect everyone._

 _I guess you're right,_ Liam said, a bit resigned. _I didn't think of it that way._

Quil was less impressed. _Well, yeah, of course she's noble. She's always been. I know that about her,_ Quil said impatiently. _But the longer we wait, the more we're just waiting for those ticks to come and get us. I don't think Billie gets it. I'd rather have you as Alpha, Theo._

 _Drop it,_ I said gruffly, and phased back.

* * *

Shauna Black's POV

That night, after dinner, I lay back in bed. I opened up my phone and stared at the last five messages I'd sent to Ben. They were all unanswered. I sighed and closing my phone, I tossed it to the side. I curled up onto my side and stared at the small line of wooden figurines on my dresser.

_Grandpa… What would you tell me if you were here? You were right to mentor Gabe instead of me. He was the one who could have led this pack. I can't do it, even though there's only four of us right now – all friends, too. What am I going to do if the pack keeps growing?_

_Sam and Jacob agree with me that our top priority is to protect the reservation. They trust the Cullens to figure out how to deal with the vampires on the other side – the Volturi, or whoever. But I understand Quil's frustrations– I mean, how are we supposed to trust the Cullens? It's not like we know who they are._

_But it's not like I know anything about the other vampires, either. And I can't send Liam, Quil, and Theo after the enemy vampires with no information. I can't let them get hurt on my orders._

_What do I do? Which instinct do I follow? And do I let the others know about my doubts or do I stay strong and firm in my decisions, even when I'm wavering on the inside?_

My mind remained cloudy and uncertain, even as I finally fell asleep.

* * *

I dreamed of a dark forest. Shattered glass glistened everywhere, and every sharp edge with tinged with red. _Blood, dripping from ragged edges of glass…_

I heard a low whimper cut across my dream. I turned and saw flashing red eyes and a hiss. _Run, Willow!_

_Grandpa?_

_Wake up and run!_

Then, a desperate, pained cry broke through my shadowy dream. I sat up abruptly in my bed, shivering and sweating.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that the pained cry that I had just heard was not a part of my dream, but a part of reality.

I heard my mom cry out from the living room. "What was that?"

I bolted out of my room.

"Shauna?" Dad said worriedly, seeing me dashing out of my bedroom.

I sprinted past him and out of the house. Leaping off of the front porch, I phased into my wolf form.

Instantly, Quil's hazy vision merged into my own.

 _Billie, Quil's hurt!_ Liam's anguished voice called out to me. He was already ahead of me, racing through the forest as fast as he could.

Another low, tight whimper rang out. Through our shared vision, I recognized that a vampire had sunk her fangs into Quil's throat.

 _Quil!_ I shouted in my head.

 _Move, Quil!_ Theo's voice joined the fray. _Don't let her get her arms around you!_

 _We're coming,_ Liam promised.

 _Where the hell is he?_ I wondered, trying to get a glimpse of his surroundings.

 _He's past the main road, into the other side of the forest,_ Liam told me.

I growled. _What the hell is he doing so far out of perimeter?_

Liam reached Quil first. With a loud, aggressive growl, he leapt at the vampire, who growled back as she leapt aside.

 _Liam, be careful,_ I warned. _She may not be alone._

 _I don't have a choice!_ Liam shouted back. _Quil, he's…_

Quil's consciousness was beginning to fade.

 _Quil, stay with us!_ I shouted desperately, trying to get through to him. My own lungs were on fire as I flew through the forest in a white-silver streak.

Liam tried to pick Quil up in his jaws to drag him out of danger, but the female vampire leapt forward and kicked him hard in the shoulder. Liam blocked Quil, but he whimpered in pain as the bones on his shoulder fractured.

 _Shit,_ I cursed. _Liam, hold on! I'm almost there._

Just then, another male vampire with jet-black hair leapt out from behind the trees and landed on top of Liam.

 _No!_ Theo and I both shouted simultaneously.

The male vampire wrapped his arms around Liam. Liam cried out in a panicked howl as he thrashed about.

 _No, you don't!_ I had finally reached them. I barreled straight into the male vampire, forcing him off of Liam.

The male vampire hissed at me, bearing his sharp fangs at me. Meanwhile, the female vampire made to duck around me and take me out from behind. Theo came just in time, swiping at her with a heavy, large paw. She cried out in surprise and fell back.

At that moment, Quil's consciousness dropped out entirely. He fell back into his human form and fell to the ground.

A third vampire with bright orange hair appeared out of nowhere and made to get his hands around Quil's neck to snap it.

Liam barked at him and lunged. The vampire leapt aside easily, and grinned at Liam.

 _Liam!_ I shouted. _Get Quil out of here!_

_But you and Theo –_

_I said get out of here!_ I growled. _**That's an order.**_

Liam whined. Then, he managed to slide his head under Quil's body, pushing him up onto his back. Quil moaned, but he had enough awareness to grip onto Liam's fur. Liam bolted, racing out of the meadow with Quil on his back.

Both the female vampire and the male vampire with jet-black hair made to go after Liam. I leapt in front of them, effectively blocking them as Liam ran away as fast as he could without losing Quil.

The third vampire, however, was clever, and waited for me to make my move before he leapt on top of Theo.

Theo, who had been racing over to get to me, immediately turned to try to avoid the vampire, but the vampire had already predicted how Theo would instinctively evade him. The vampire barreled into his side, pushing Theo back. When Theo turned his head to snap at the vampire's head, the vampire smoothly ducked Theo's lunge and managed to get his arm around Theo's neck. He squeezed as hard as he could.

Theo's scream sounded both in his howl and in his human voice in my head.

 _No!_ I cried. Just then, the two vampires in front of me leapt at me. My instincts were quick enough that I dodged them one after the other. I darted between them and ran over to Theo in quick bounds. The third vampire saw me coming and finally released a still thrashing, but whimpering Theo.

Theo dropped to the ground. His fur rose and fell as he breathed heavily. His consciousness wavered in our mental connection.

I winced. The vampire with orange hair was an incredibly skilled fighter, if he could incapacitate Theo like this just by getting his arms around him once.

 _Theo!_ I heard Liam cry out in anguish, but the next moment, Liam's connection dropped out and I knew that he had transformed back into his human self, meaning that he had gotten Quil back to safety and was likely having to talk to the Elders.

I was relieved that Liam had made it back with Quil, but that meant that Theo and I were now on our own.

_How do I get us out of this?_

The three vampires circled me as I stood protectively over Theo, guarding him.

 _Billie…_ Theo groaned, _get out of here. You're… no match…_

_Shut up. Save your strength._

My fur was bristling all over as I shivered with anticipation.

"You're outnumbered," the vampire with bright orange hair said, amused. "Why don't you just give up, and we'll make it nice and quick for your friend here?"

I snarled, showing all of my teeth as a deep, furious growl sounded out.

"Oh, girly has quite a good growl, don't you?" the vampire said. He laughed lightly. "Did you practice that one at home, young one?"

Suddenly, I thought I heard a voice in the wind. _Willow, find the tree…_ _Look for the hollow tree…_

My head jerked back and forth as I scanned the trees around us. Then, I saw it – a huge redwood tree with a hollowed out trunk. The entrance was just big enough that I could stand guard over it. _That's it._

I stepped away from Theo and nudged him.

The vampires grinned, thinking that I was backing down and surrendering.

"That's it," the vampire with the jet-black hair said, sneering. "You're a smart one, aren't you? For a werewolf, that is."

_Theo, we have to get to that redwood tree._

_What…?_ He thought blearily.

_With the hollow in the trunk._

_A hollow -? Oh, I see it._

_I'm going to feint and run the other way, but I'll come back and join you. Can you run?_

_I have to, don't I?_ he thought, exhausted.

_One, two, three!_

I streaked off into the forest. Thinking that Theo was utterly incapable of moving and believing that I was sacrificing Theo to save myself, all three vampires immediately came after me.

With a tremendous effort, Theo pushed up his half-broken body and limped as fast as he could towards the redwood tree.

 _Almost… there…_ His red and hazy vision obscured my vision for a moment. I nearly ran straight into a tree.

"Damn it, she's fast!" the female vampire cursed, hissing loudly in frustration.

The vampire with bright orange hair, who had jumped up into the treetops to keep an eye on me, chose that moment to try to leap down on top of me.

I suddenly turned around, dodged the other male vampire, leapt over the female vampire and darted back through the trees.

"What the hell is she doing?" the male vampire with jet-black hair shouted.

I streaked towards the redwood tree.

"Where's the other werewolf?" the female vampire called to the others.

"Oh, I see. They're going to hide in that tree," the vampire with the orange hair realized. He hissed and raced towards me as quickly as he could.

I put on a last spurt of speed-

_Slam!_

I managed to slide through the hole and into the redwood tree just as the vampire with the orange hair grabbed for me. He slammed straight into the tree, making the entire tree shiver.

Theo had turned back into his human form. He was groaning in pain as he lay on the dirt, shivering and trembling.

I quickly turned around. When the vampire with orange hair attempted to come inside, I snapped my jaws at him, nearly taking off his hand.

"Damn it," he growled.

But then, his voice changed as he said, "But you're only delaying the inevitable. How long can you last in there? And there are other ways inside that tree, you know? We'll break it apart or dig our way in… You just sit tight and wait in there, werewolf."

_Willow, the tree will protect you… Stay in the tree…_

_Grandfather, I'm scared. This tree won't hold for very long, and I can't think of any way out of this situation._

I had never felt so defeated in my life. I couldn't see how Liam coming back could change the odds. We were cornered and the vampires were sure to break into this tree. In fact, it was surprising that they hadn't been able to break apart the trunk of the tree yet, though they were certainly working on it.

_You are our people's leader. You must be strong, spirit-warrior._

I imagined that it was the magic of the Quileute woodland that was protecting us from the vampires, but I couldn't be sure. Perhaps the vampire with the orange hair was right, and the tree would crumble and leave Theo and me totally defenseless in a matter of minutes.

Theo's soft, pained cry jolted me awake. _I have to protect him. I have to be strong._

I planted myself at the entrance, remaining tense and on all fours, ready to lunge or bite or snap at any moment. In fact, several times, one of the vampires would try to dart in and catch me off guard, but I never failed to respond.

"Tch, persistent, that female werewolf," the vampire with jet-black hair remarked sullenly.

Then, two ear-splitting howls, both within seconds of each other, sounded out. They were some miles away, but our vampire and werewolves senses could pick them up clear as day.

Two voices suddenly entered my mind – two very confused and frantic voices.

_What the hell is going on?_

_My body - ! What is this?_

Then, there was a shocked pause.

_Marc, is that you?_

_Rebecca! Is that you?_

Rebecca and Marc Lahote, daughter and son of Paul and Rachel Lahote, had phased.

 _Calm down,_ I urged them. _Rebecca, Marc, listen to me –_

_Billie!_

_Yes, it's me._

_This can't – This isn't possible._ Marc was struggling to make sense of it all. _This is a dream. This can't be –_

_Marc, I need you to pull yourself together. I know this is crazy, but it's real. You're a werewolf. So is Rebecca._

Rebecca paused. _Werewolf…?_

_Yes. So was your father, and my father._

_No,_ Rebecca groaned. _No, I tried so hard to resist..._

But Marc's anxious voice sounded out over Rebecca's. _Werewolves don't exist! This is crazy! This can't be true._

 _It is,_ a new voice said grimly.

_Liam?_

_Yes, Marc, it's me._ Liam had phased back.

 _Listen,_ Liam said, _Billie and I will explain everything you need to know shortly. But this is a crisis. Theo's hurt, and Billie's on her own. I need you both to follow me._

 _Follow you where? I'm not going anywhere until someone explains what the hell is going on!_ Rebecca growled.

 _Marc, Rebecca – you can see where Billie is, right?_ Liam said. _And you can see what she's doing?_

 _Sort-of. Are you inside a tree?_ Marc asked me.

 _Yes. I'm trying to stay alive. There are three vampires outside of this tree right now, all trying to get inside,_ I explained.

 _Vampires!_ Rebecca scoffed. _This is ridiculous. This is totally ridiculous._

 _You already know that this is all true,_ I said, making my voice as gentle as possible, which was difficult while fending off vampires and listening to Theo alternate between whimpers and groans behind me. _Think about the legends. We're shapeshifters._

 _Shapeshifters?_ Marc repeated.

 _Yes,_ Liam told him. _Billie's right. Our tribe… is a pack._

 _Wait, maybe this is what Dad meant_ , Marc thought suddenly. _When he talked about his temper from before and how he phased… Do you remember when Dad said that, Rebecca? We thought it was weird. But this is what he meant. When he got angry, he phased… into a wolf. He's a werewolf._

 _Exactly,_ Liam said.

Rebecca sighed. _Yes, I suppose so._

Rebecca's attitude surprised me. She didn't seem the least bit startled, only resigned. But I had no time to ponder this. _Fine, Rebecca and Marc, if you can't get your bearings together, just_ _stay where you are and try not to hurt yourself until you phase back into your human form. Liam – a little help here?_

 _On it._ Liam was already halfway here.

Rebecca's voice sounded out over our connection. _I've not getting dragged into this. I'm phasing back. Immediately._

Marc hesitated. Then, he said, _Rebecca, I don't know what's going on either. I don't even know if this is actually real, or just a dream._ _But Theo and Billie need our help right now. Don't you think we should try?_

 _I am not getting sucked into this,_ Rebecca repeated. _This is what got Mom stuck here in La Push. I just know it._

 _Becca, it sounds like we just need to help. We don't have to promise anything beyond that right now... And it seems serious,_ Marc said.

 _It is serious_ , I thought, exhausted. _Theo's already... not doing so great._ My voice dropped into a low whimper.

 _Becca, Marc, come on,_ Liam thought, pushing them now. _I know it's disorienting, but we need your help._

Rebecca sighed. I saw her shake her big, russet-colored head. _Fine. But whatever the hell this is, I'm dropping right out after this is over._

 _Good! Now come!_ I said. _Follow Liam's lead. Be smart. You don't know how to fight yet. None of us, do, really. But whatever you do, don't let the vampires get their arms around you._

 _Are they fast?_ Marc asked, worried. I could see him running towards us, with Rebecca close behind him.

 _Yes, and they're strong, too,_ I said. _Especially the vampire with the bright orange hair. Be extra careful around him. He's a strategic fighter, and clearly far more experienced than any of us._

 _Got it,_ Liam noted. _Marc, Rebecca, let me take the lead. I'm not saying I'm experienced, but at least I'm not dealing with having just phased for the first time._

 _Tell me about it,_ Rebecca said wryly.

Suddenly, I heard a loud ripping sound as the female vampire finally managed to tear away a huge piece of the tree trunk from the sound. I yelped.

She hissed. "You wait right there," she snarled. "I'll rip you to pieces for making me do all this to get your stinking hide."

"B-Billie, get out … of here…" Theo said from behind me, moaning out words between gritted teeth. I let out a low whine, showing him that I didn't want to leave him.

Another piece of the tree was punched through by one of the male vampires. I couldn't tell which one. But the bright moonlight was starting to shine through the broken tree trunk. Theo gave a low groan. He was holding the side of his body with his good arm. Sweat was pouring off his face. He was gritting his teeth and his eyes were tightly closed. "Billie… please go…"

From our mental link, I knew that Liam was close. Unable to take the sight of Theo suffering alone any longer, I transformed into my human form. I raced over to Theo and dropped to the ground besides him. "Theo… Oh God, you're so badly hurt… What can I do?"

The vampires paused in their clawing at the tree and sniffed at the air.

"Her scent changed…"

"Is she human again?"

"Yes. She must have given up."

Theo grimaced in discomfort. "Billie," he whispered, "get out of here. You're going to get – get hurt if you stay… with me…"

"Save your strength, Theo," I hushed him. "We have to hold on."

"Billie… You don't owe me anything. Get out of... here..."

I shook my head. "I'm staying with you, so stop fighting me. Just focus on pulling through."

A shadow flickered across the entrance of the tree.

Theo gathered his strength and used it to try to push me away. "Billie!" he shouted hoarsely. "Run!"

Just before the vampire with jet-black hair entered the tree, Liam burst onto the scene and leapt on top of him, clawing furiously. After a moment, though, Liam had to jump back as the vampire with the bright orange hair tried to capture him.

The vampires jumped back from the tree, and a flurry of hissing and snarling arose as Liam tried to push them back from the tree without getting caught by one of them. Marc and Rebecca appeared at that moment.

"What!?" The female vampire growled angrily. "There's _more_ of them?"

"Seems like there are more of these wolves every time," the male vampire with jet-black hair snarled. "Where in hell are they coming from?"

"If there's an entire pack of werewolves, our plan won't work," the female vampire said sharply. "We might as well take on the Cullens at this point. That vampire girl's going to be protected either way."

"Shush, Sabine," the raven-haired vampire said. "Don't talk so openly about our plans."

"Back down," the male vampire with bright orange hair commanded. "It isn't worth it to lose our lives here. Flee."

Theo was shaking and groaning in pain. I knew what was happening. His bones were trying to mend themselves, but they weren't positioned correctly.

 _Shit,_ I thought. _That's not good_.

But I had to remain calm, for his sake. "Theo, it's all right," I whispered to him. I put my hand against his cheek and murmured, "We're safe now. We're going to get you help."

For just a moment, Theo blearily opened his eyes and looked up at me. Between strained, grasping breaths, he murmured, "Billie..." Then, his eyes closed, and he fell unconscious.

" _Theo!"_

Liam was pawing at the tree from outside. The already half-broken tree caved in. I ducked my head down and shielded Theo from any falling debris. Then, Liam walked forward into the hollow with us. He stood patiently as I gently draped Theo over Liam's back.

"Go," I murmured, and Liam ran back, getting Theo to safety. I let out a long breath and shut my eyes. _Quil, Theo... Please be all right._

A soft whine demanded my attention. I looked before me to see Rebecca and Marc standing before me in their werewolf forms.

"All right," I said. "Let's go back."

But just before I phased back into my wolf form, I turned back and looked at the redwood tree that had protected me and Theo. Even with half its trunk hollowed out, it still stood tall and proud.


	18. Wind From Another World

Shauna Black's POV 

"You idiot. You complete idiot," I cursed at Quil. "What the hell possessed you to go after the vampires? I told you that we were to stay on watch, didn't I? I assigned you to perimeter guard, didn't I?"

Liam winced and looked down at his feet.

But Quil shot back, "We would have gotten the vampire that night if you had just come with us, or let Theo come with us! Then, we would have caught them cleanly and we'd have avoided all this. Rebecca and Marc wouldn't have turned!"

Rebecca and Marc were sitting across from Liam and Theo. It was two days after the fiasco the three vampires had managed to wreck us with because of Liam and Quil's decision to go vampire-hunting by themselves. We were all sitting in my father's garage, except for Theo, who was still recovering. Some of his bones had had to be re-broken by Dr. Cullen, and were still mending. Even a werewolf's regenerative powers were limited (and arguably, even more problematic) when it came to fixing completely broken bones.

"Quil," I growled, "the way to avoid this was to stay on watch."

"No, it wasn't! Don't fucking kid yourself," Quil argued back. "If we just sit around and do nothing, those vampires are going to keep coming onto our lands, and more people will start turning. You know this! Why are you pretending otherwise, Billie? You keep acting like you have the solution to the problem, but you don't! You're just framing the issue to do whatever you want."

"I listened to what you said, Quil, and I made a decision," I told him firmly. "And as Alpha-"

"Yeah, yeah, as Alpha, we have to listen to you. I know. _I know_ ," Quil said, frustrated beyond belief. "And you know what, Shauna? I would listen to you even if you weren't Alpha. Because I respect you. Because I know you mean well, and I want to consider that. But you can't say that you listened to me. You don't give a shit what I suggest. You just want to do things your way. At least Theo listened before he said no. At least Theo-"

I stood up abruptly. I didn't mean to be so aggressive, but the table in front of us flipped over, and metal tools clattered loudly all over the floor. My entire body was shaking.

"Billie…" Liam whispered. "Billie, don't – don't lose control now."

"I'm. Not." I said through gritted teeth. "Because unlike the two of you, I have some _fucking self-restraint._ "

With that, I walked out of the garage.

As I left, I heard Rebecca mutter sullenly, "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"

* * *

I stopped at the front of the house and rested my head against the front porch post, taking deep breaths to calm myself.

"Shauna…"

I looked up to see Dad standing in the doorway, having just opened the door.

"I can't do this," I blurted out. "I'm just getting everyone hurt. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Dad sighed. "Yeah, I know it's hard, Shauna. I know."

I stood there quietly, too embarrassed to look my father in the face. _Grandfather was an incredible leader of our community. So are Mom and Dad. And everybody respected Gabe. Everyone was eager for him to take on our family's mantle. They believed in him. So then, why not me?_

"Shauna, if you don't want to do this, I understand," Dad said quietly. "But you can't give up just because it's hard."

"It's not just that it's hard, Dad," I pushed back a little. "If I knew that by trying, I could reach the right decision, I wouldn't care how hard it was. But the truth is that no matter how hard I try, I might still be making the wrong choice. That's what scares me, more than anything…"

"No one knows what the right decision is, sweetheart. Sometimes, there isn't one," Dad said. "That's what leaders are for. If we always had a clear answer, we wouldn't need a leader."

"Dad, why can't we go after the vampires?" I asked him. "I get that we're prioritizing our safety, but I think Quil and Liam are right in that we're just dragging this out and it's causing more of us to phase in the long run."

Dad nodded, understanding the issue. "Yeah, that's a fair point. I guess the way I see it is that if we go after them, it drags us onto their territory and most likely, into their traps. There are too many unknowns, especially because it seems to be an endless number of vampires that we're up against, and none of you know how to fight well yet."

"Besides," Dad continued, "I trust the Cullens to take care of it."

"You do? Why?" I asked. "Dad, I never even heard you mention them in my entire life, and now you just expect me to honor this alliance from before I was born? I don't understand."

"Well, Shauna, I trust them with my life. I'm not saying I always agree with them. But we've been through a lot together, the Cullens and us," Dad replied. For a moment, he stared at something beyond me, some past that I couldn't see with him.

Then, he blinked and shaking his head slightly, he looked directly at me again. "But it's your decision, Shauna. If you want to go after them, go. But think of the risk. You are responsible for the pack's lives. I know that's scary to hear, but it's true."

"Can't you just make my decision for me?" I asked my Dad in a small voice. I was ashamed to ask, but I truly didn't know what to do anymore.

Dad gave me a rueful, but sympathetic smile. "Shauna, I wouldn't have given you the Alpha position if I didn't think you were ready. Neither would Sam and Sue."

"What about Rebecca?" I asked. "She has Black blood. She could be Alpha."

"She could," Dad conceded. But then he grinned knowingly. "Why don't you try asking her and seeing if she wants it?"

"Right," I snorted. Rebecca would sooner advocate for total anarchy than take on the Alpha mantle.

But as the light-hearted moment passed, I couldn't help but voice two of the thoughts that had been eating away at me ever since Liam and Quil transformed. "Do you think Gabe would have been a better Alpha? Or Theo?"

Dad paused, seeing how serious I was. He stepped forward, closer to me, and looked into my face. "I can see how you might think that, Shauna. But the more I think about it, the more I think that the Alpha was meant to be you."

I blinked, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," Dad said, and his voice was full of sincerity. "I don't know how to explain it to you, exactly."

He hesitated, mulling over how to explain his thoughts to me. Finally, he told me, "When I was supposed to be Alpha, I gave up the mantle to Sam."

"What?" I said, astonished. "You _gave_ it up?"

"I did. And I remember thinking that if I had been Dad, or Grandpa for you, I wouldn't have given it up. I thought Sam was a stronger leader than me, and he definitely was, and the only person I thought who might be a better leader than Sam was Grandpa."

I couldn't see where he was going with this, but I listened hard. I couldn't imagine Dad ever doubting himself as an Alpha. It stunned me to learn that he had given the Alpha position to Sam.

"And the thing is," Dad said slowly, thinking through his words, "you remind me so much of Dad, Shauna. So much. See, Grandpa didn't just have a way with words and people, he had a way with the world. He truly was at one with nature."

"He always loved the trees and the wind," I remembered. "More than anyone."

Dad nodded. "Yes, Grandpa respected the land and the air. He knew that our stories came as much from the history of our land as from the history of our people. That was what gave him that depth of understanding that no one else could quite seem to reach or emulate."

"It made his stories magical," I said, smiling a little. "I always loved to hear his stories. It felt like wind coming from his soul, and Grandpa would take me to a different place altogether, somewhere where only the wind could take me - the place where our ancestors were born."

Dad listened to me carefully, watching me with warm eyes as I spoke. "See? You understood Grandpa's magic implicitly, far beyond what I ever understood, or can understand. That's why… That's why I think you're meant to be. If you try, if you stick with it, I imagine you could be the Alpha that I never could be."

"Dad, don't say it like that," I chided him gently.

"I'm serious, Shauna," he said. "But I'm not saying it's going to be easy. And you always have the choice to walk away. You do. But like I said, I have faith in you. You have the spirit of our people inside you. I see it so clearly in you."

I thought about his words for a long time. Dad stayed by my side, also lost in thought.

Then, I said softly, "When I first phased, I was so scared of what happened to me. The others, they had someone to talk them through it."

"Right," Dad said, "and you didn't."

"Well, actually, I did," I told him. "I heard Grandpa's voice in the wind, speaking to me... And the same thing happened when I was trying to protect Theo the other day. Grandpa told me to look for the redwood tree and to head there for safety. He was right. The tree shouldn't have been able to stand up against the vampires' strength for that long, but it did. As though the tree was magical."

I looked up at my father and asked, "Do you think that was Grandpa?"

Dad was looking back at me, somewhat awed. "Yeah," he murmured softly. "Yeah, I think it was Grandpa protecting his little girl… his little wolf girl."

Dad's eyes shone with tears as he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly.

"Dad," I complained in a small voice, not wanting to break the moment but needing to tell him, "you're squeezing me too hard. I can't breathe."

Dad chuckled softly. "Oh, Shauna, you know you can't ask your Dad to change his old habits."

* * *

Theo mended over the next couple of days. Dr. Cullen had set up a makeshift hospital room in the Uley house.

Mom and Dad decided that we better go and visit him, and they seemed to expect that I was coming along with them.

I stood awkwardly in the back as Sam and Dad chatted with Theo. Mom was speaking with Emily in the living room. I was completely quiet, trying, for the first time in my life, to blend in with the background. I saw Theo look at me and cock his head a little, confused as to why I was hanging back so much. But when I avoided his eyes, he dropped it and didn't glance my way again.

Eventually, Dad looked back at me and said, "You and Theo should receive your markings soon. Seeing as you're first and second in command, you should brand each other."

"Brand each other?" I repeated, confused. Theo's expression showed that he was just as puzzled as I was.

Dad nodded. He pulled up his sleeve and showed me his tattoo. Besides him, Sam also rolled up his sleeve, showing the same tattoo.

"Everyone who transformed had it. But Sam and I branded each other first," Dad explained. "It's a shared mark, but who marks you and the order in which members are marked designates hierarchy within the team."

"It's an important symbol of the pack that ties you all together, like the passing of a torch. It will make the pack's mental connection even stronger, meaning that you can begin coordinating fights and defenses together," Sam said.

Dad explained further, "After everyone's received their mark, we can train everyone how to fight against the Cold Ones, though I hope you'll never need to."

Sam looked over at his son before glancing back at me. "Once Theo's all healed, the two of you need to begin the process."

A short while later, Sam noticed that Theo was getting a bit sleepy.

"Son, you should sleep. It'll help your body recover," Sam said, watching his son with a soft gaze.

Sam and Dad began to walk out of the room. Relieved that this was all over, I made to follow when Theo called out, "Hey, Billie. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Frowning a little, I turned around to look at him. "Aren't you tired?" I asked him.

"Yeah, a bit," Theo admitted. "But I just have something to say to you. It won't take long."

"Okay." I walked closer to Theo's bed and asked him matter-of-factly, "What is it? Do you need something?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Theo replied.

"Then...?"

Theo seemed a bit hesitant to say what was on his mind, which was out-of-character for him. Finally, he said, "Just thought I needed to say thanks."

"Oh." I paused. "For what?"

"For staying with me in that tree hollow," he said. "You didn't need to do that. In fact, arguably, you shouldn't have done that."

"Come on, Theo, like I'd just leave you to die," I replied sarcastically.

"It would have been the smart thing to do."

"All right, now you're just calling me an idiot," I pointed out.

His eyes were tired, but the corner of his mouth turned up. "I guess I am," he said. "Thanks, idiot."

I shook my head. "You saved my life, too, remember? Now I saved yours. We're square."

"Oh, are you saying you won't save mine next time?" Theo asked me.

"Mmhm, so you better not get your big stupid wolf self into any more trouble, got it?"

"Yes, sir – I mean Alpha."

"I'm not going to stand here while you mock me, Theo."

Theo laughed, though the sound was a bit weary. "How did you even know about the hollow in the redwood?"

I thought about his question seriously, for I myself had been wondering this ever since that day, and even before that./. Since I'd phased, I kept hearing this voice in the winds... I thought it was Grandfather's voice, but that didn't explain how it had led me to the hollow in the tree right when I needed it most.

"Billie?"

"I don't know, Theo." I thought out loud, "Sometimes I feel like I'm connected to this other world that leads me places..."

He raised his eyebrow at me.

"I know it sounds crazy," I said flatly.

"Well, a little... But then again, it did save my life," Theo replied.

I looked down at him, surprised. I was sure he was going to mock me for my fantastical explanation, or at least dismiss me. But he seemed to take it as seriously as I did.

He blinked up at me, trying to think it through with me instead of falling asleep. But he was losing the fight. I could tell.

"Go to sleep," I told him.

He nodded and fell back against his pillows.

I left the room, quietly shutting the door behind me.

* * *

After Dr. Cullen gave Theo the "good-to-go," Sam, Dad, Mom, Emily, and Sue decided that it was time for us to brand each other.

"There's no avoiding it now," Mom said glumly. "With six wolves, your generation has definitely formed a pack."

"They'll be all right," Sue told her soothingly, rubbing Mom's back.

"They will be once they get their marks," Sam said. "After that, we can take turns training them, and we'll all be safer for it - but especially the kids themselves. Learning to fight is the best defense."

"God," Dad said, looking at Sam with a most amused expression on his face, "hearing you talk like that takes me way back."

Both Emily and Mom laughed out loud at this. Sam shot Dad a hard look, but his expression softened almost immediately, and finally, he laughed too.

* * *

Theo and I met at the longhouse where the summer festival had been hosted. It felt very strange for just the two of us to be here. We sat in front of the fire, as the sharpened wood branches slowly blackened.

For a long while, neither of us spoke to each other. As the flames licked at the wood, the silence stretched out longer and longer. But I didn't even notice it, really, because I was so lost in my own mind. _Once we have our marks, it'll solidify our positions._ I couldn't help but ask myself yet again: _Do I have it in me to be Alpha? What if the next time I mess up, like I did with Quil and Liam this time, someone actually does die? How will I ever look anyone in the face ever again?_

The fire wood was nearly ready. Theo turned to me and said, "Alpha first?"

"Wait," I said. "Maybe you should go first."

"That doesn't make any sense," he replied. "Your Dad says Alpha needs to be marked first."

"I know what my Dad said," I responded, and my voice came out more aggressively than I intended it to. I struggled to try to explain myself, "What I'm trying to say is… What I'm asking you is… Do _you_ want to be Alpha?"

Theo blinked in surprise. "What?"

I looked down at my hands as I told him, "The others respect you. They listen to you-"

"Only insofar as they already agreed with what I said," Theo responded. "I think like the others, Billie, so it's easy to agree."

"Exactly," I said affirmatively.

Theo fell quiet, which made me feel uneasy.

I shifted a little. "That's a good thing, right?" I asked him. "Unity, understanding, that type of thing… It's what I can't do. But you can."

"No," Theo said finally. "We need someone who can see things the way you do, Billie."

I gave him a knowing, sidelong glance. "You've seen all of my mistakes - more than the others, even. You don't mean that."

"I do. Me and the rest of the pack, we all think strategically," Theo said thoughtfully. "But the way you think – you see people, not just the pack or the tribe. You see people for who they are, and their needs and wants, even the ones they aren't strong enough to voice yet. We need a leader like that."

Then, with a bit of a smirk, he teased me and said, "And you know the rest of us aren't just going to take orders sitting down. We'll keep you on track when you get too close for throwing it all away for one person." It came off like a joke, but the words held a promise.

I was a bit taken aback by how thoughtfully Theo responded, and to keep me as Alpha, no less.

"I thought you disagreed with me on everything," I told him.

"I do," he said flatly. "But after having to deal with your stupid decisions head-on, I understand better why you made them. I can respect that, even if I don't agree with you."

"But it doesn't make you want to challenge me?" I asked him. "You technically have Alpha blood, too, you know."

Theo shrugged. "Maybe that's why we always butt heads. But it's not about me. It's about the pack. You'd be a better leader for us."

"And besides," he added, shrugging, "my Dad has Alpha blood, not my bloodlines. At least, not as strong as yours. If anything, it should be Rebecca who's next in line, right?"

"She doesn't want it," I told him.

"Well, neither do I. I mean, I'm not opposed to doing it if I have to," Theo explained. "But I'm not… I'm not my father. I think my Dad is just a true Alpha in personality. He wants me to be that way, too, but I'm not. I've never been, really." He stared into the fire, and I thought I saw him sigh a little.

"Well, that's not a bad thing," I said, a bit awkwardly. "So what? You're just… you."

"Yeah, I know," Theo replied. "I just see the disappointment in my Dad's eyes sometimes, and it… Never mind."

"Somehow, things were easier when we had a jump off a cliff, right?" I teased, trying to get him to smile.

It worked. He gave me a "well-that's-true" smile.

Then, he reached out and carefully took one of the blackened wood sticks, sharpened to a very fine point, from the fire.

"All right," he said. "Lift your sleeve."

I rolled up my sleeve. Then, Theo and I both paused.

"Er – the marking might not fight on your arm," Theo realized.

He was right. In comparison to Sam, Dad, or even Theo, my arm was rather puny.

"Um…" I thought about it for a second. "I don't know… My forehead's not much bigger."

Theo snorted. "Right, your forehead. Come on, Billie."

"My back is probably easiest, then," I said. I struggled to pull my shirt back enough to let Theo draw between my shoulder blades, but I was basically choking myself.

"Billie," Theo said dryly, "don't be so dramatic. I've seen you naked before."

"Fine," I grumbled, and pulled my shirt off. I quickly undid my bra from the back and then showed Theo my back, tucking my shirt underneath my arms to cover my front. I knew I was being silly. Theo was right. We'd seen each other naked enough times now that there really wasn't anything to hide, but somehow, tonight felt different.

Theo hesitated. "Your..."

"What?"

Theo reached out and slowly pushed my hair to the side. Though he tried hard not to touch me, I felt his fingertips brush against the back of my neck.

"Oh, sorry," I murmured. "I didn't realize…"

"No problem," he replied, a bit awkwardly.

"All right. It might sting a bit at first," he warned me.

"I'm ready."

He slowly pressed the wood, now essentially an extremely concentrated form of charcoal, against my back. I shivered a little as the pinprick of heat sent little waves of sensation through my body.

As Theo continued to draw, the waves of sensation felt more and more intense, until it literally felt like some magical wind that had entered my soul. My eyes slipped shut.

_I found myself standing in a most beautiful forest of redwood, fir, oak, and willow trees. I walked towards a tall, swaying willow tree. I stood before it, asking it to accept me, asking it to let me come home._

_Then, I felt a cool, crisp wind blow gently over my face._

_"Grandpa..."_

_Willow. Come home._

"Billie?"

My eyes slowly fluttered open.

As soon as Theo had finished inscribing my tattoo, I had slumped backwards. We were both sitting down, and I had been sitting in front of him, so he'd naturally caught me.

"I'm all right," I breathed out.

"What happened?" he asked me.

"I think I just went to another world," I confessed.

"Another world?"

"Of wind and trees…" I whispered softly. "There was a tree. A willow tree."

"A willow tree?" Theo repeated. He paused, and then he asked, "That's you, isn't it? It's your middle name…"

I smiled, feeling a sense of release and peace that I hadn't felt since I'd lost Grandpa and phased that same night. "Yes, it is. It is me."

Theo reached forward and brushed his fingers across my cheek. "Your face is a little flushed," he murmured.

His fingers gently pressed against the side of my face, turning my head over my shoulder to look at him.

Theo was gazing at me. "You're warm…" he whispered.

I blinked, surprised that he wasn't backing away or at least looking away. "Theo?" I wondered aloud.

Instead of answering me aloud, Theo's eyes searched mine, asking for consent.

 _Consent for what?_ I wondered.

Then, his eyes fell to my lips.

 _Oh._ I swallowed.

He slowly leaned in towards me.

I shut my eyes.

I felt his lips press hesitatingly against mine. He softly kissed me before he drew back.

As we opened our eyes, we both stared at each other.

 _What was that for?_ I almost asked. For a moment, I was intensely aware of how hard my heart was pounding in my chest. I wondered if he could feel it, since I was still leaning back against him.

I could feel his chest against my back, still supporting me. He waited for me to sit up on my own, rather than push me upright.

I slowly sat up, but as I did, the sudden rush of embarrassment at whatever had just happened started to hit me. I kept my eyes low as I hurriedly put my shirt on over myself. _What was that, even?_

"You should draw mine," Theo told me. His voice was so steady, and warm.

 _How does he do it?_ I thought, as I carefully picked up another wooden branch from the fire. _He doesn't get fazed by anything._ Meanwhile, my heart was going so fast that I felt like I couldn't think straight. But there Theo was, as patient and grounded as ever, waiting for me to get my act together.

"Where do you want yours?" I asked him. "Shoulder?"

He was looking down at his shirt, and I realized that my leaning back on him had meant that the excess soot from my marking had left a perfect replication of my mark on his shirt, over his chest.

"Here," Theo said, putting his hand over his chest.

"Your chest?"

"Yes."

Some part of me wanted to protest. I didn't know why, exactly, but it felt as though Theo getting his mark on his chest had become personal, almost… intimate.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, trying to sound neutral. "You could get it on your arm, like your Dad."

"I'd prefer it on my chest," he replied, not at all swayed by my unconvincing pitch.

I sighed. "Fine. Come here, then."

Theo took his shirt off as I sat next to him. I pressed the blackened tip of the wood and began to drag the wood across his chest in a circle. He grimaced ever so slightly.

"What is it?" I asked him, worried I was doing something wrong.

"Nothing," Theo assured me. "Just a little sore, still. But it's nothing."

"I'll be gentle," I told him. I tried to be as light-handed as possible while still being accurate. But being light-handed wasn't the problem. Being light- _headed_ was.

 _Concentrate, Billie_ , I told myself. _This is a permanent mark. You have to draw it perfectly._ Sam and Dad had made us practice the markings many, many times before tonight. I relied on the feeling I'd memorized from those practice sessions as I started to draw the tattoo on his chest.

I didn't let the rise and fall of his chest, in time with his steady breathing, distract me.

I didn't let the feeling of his gaze on my face distract me.

And I certainly didn't let the slow, but steady feeling of warm electricity growing between us distract me either.

Some time later, with great relief, I finished drawing his mark.

I carefully brushed the soot off of the mark, my fingers brushing over his chest.

"There," I said, looking up at him. "No mistakes. For once."

Theo gave me an odd look, as though he wanted to smile at my joke, but wasn't sure what I was doing.

I was suddenly very aware of the fact that my hands were still pressed to his chest for no reason whatsoever.

"Sorry," I murmured, embarrassed.

 _What are you doing?_ I admonished myself. _It must just be the marking ceremony and all the smoke from the fire. I should get out of here._ I made to pull my hands away, and to step away from him altogether.

But before I'd managed to lower my hands and back away, Theo grasped both my wrists gently and pulled me towards him.

Our lips crashed into each other's before either of us had time to think it through. Shock jolted through my mind, but it was quickly followed by a feeling of belonging because this - being with him - just felt so utterly… right.

His hands slid up my arms and shoulders and he held me tightly, kissing me more deeply. I felt my lips part in response, and my hands slid up his chest and around his shoulders. _He's so warm, and he feels so steady._

My mind had wandered into some space of blurry, but intense, warmth and pleasure, and I didn't want to let him go anymore.

It surprised me that Theo, of all people, would want me in this way, too, but it could not be clearer that both of us were craving this, for some strange reason or another. His hands, large and strong, were ever so soft as his fingers tangled themselves in my now-short hair. Short, because I'd cut it off on one of his stupid dares in this very longhouse... Because I refused to lose to him.

In the back of my mind, I hazily thought about how we'd despised each other all of our lives, and I found it so very strange how easily I was falling into him and quickly getting lost in the heat between us. He was everywhere, hugging me, gripping me, kissing me, nuzzling me, touching me, and everything about him was so wonderfully warm.

I fast became breathless, but I didn't want to stop. He didn't seem to have a mind of stopping either. His hands slipped under the hem of my shirt, and a moment later, it fell to the floor besides us. I shivered at the sudden rush of air that washed over me. Noticing my reaction to the sudden loss of heat, Theo reached out and pressed me tightly against him, as though to transfer his warmth to me. It only took a moment for me to feel warm again. After all, both of our bodies ran so warm now...

At some point, we sank to the floor together, with me gripping his shoulders as well as I could, and his arms around my waist. He kept kissing me, and I was trying to pull him closer, wanting to feel more of him, wanting to taste and touch more of him, wanting to be one with him…

"I thought – I thought you said you weren't interested in me," I breathed out between kisses.

"That was then," he murmured back, his lips still pressed hungrily to mine. "This is now."

It all blurred into one, intense experience. I remember him asking me what I wanted, and if I truly wanted it with him. I remember looking up at him, unashamed, and saying his name as warmly as I could, and whispering that this was what I wanted. And then, what I remember most of all, is how, between our desperate pants and involuntary moans, he buried his face in my neck and breathed out, my name, my real name – "Willow."


	19. Subterfuge of a Butterfly

Shauna Black's POV

I woke up to see long slants of sun coming in through the high beams of the longhouse. I blinked, confused. _Where am I? And why am I so warm?_

I tried to move a little, but I felt something heavy and protective over my waist. I could feel that I was between two fur blankets, but that didn't explain whatever was wrapped around my waist. I glanced uncertainly behind me to see – _Theo?_ I could just make out the edge of his tattoo on his chest. With the way we were lying, the tattoo on his chest matched up perfectly with the tattoo on my back.

All at once, the memories of last night came flooding back.

_Oh my God. Oh my –_

I slipped out from under his arm and got dressed as quickly and quietly as I could.

I debated between whether or not I should leave silently. But realizing how cruel that could come off, with a deep sigh, I knelt down and shook Theo awake.

He was sleeping so soundly that it felt like a pity to wake him, but he stirred quickly. He lifted his head and looked up at me, squinting a little against the sun that was streaming down brightly. "Billie? What are you…?"

His voice trailed off as he remembered specifically _what_ had gone on between us.

"You should get dressed," I murmured, not quite able to meet his eyes. I fetched his jeans and then, a few feet away, his shirt. I handed them to him.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

I turned around as he quickly dressed.

"We should head back. Our parents are probably furious with us for staying out all night," I said, still looking determinedly away from him.

"Right," Theo replied. "Yeah, we should go back."

Neither of us looked at each other as we cleaned everything up and headed out.

* * *

Mom and Dad were waiting for me out on the front porch.

"Shauna, you have a phone," Mom said immediately. _"Use it."_

"Sorry," I apologized earnestly. "I promise I'm not trying to upset you. I'll be better, I swear."

I walked up to Mom and hugged her, even though it was awkward because her arms were crossed over her chest. But she slowly melted. With a long sigh, she finally reached out and hugged me back.

From besides us, Dad inquired, "And why, young lady, were you out all night? I thought you were going to get your tattoo with Theo."

"We did," I said. "He drew mine first, and then I drew his on him."

"And that took all night?" Dad lifted an eyebrow at me, clearly amused. His eyes were sparkling.

"No. After we finished, we just got to talking about… about things," I ended lamely.

Mom looked down at me and frowned. I not-so-subtly avoided making eye contact with her.

"Shauna," she said in a warning tone, putting her hand on my shoulder and pushing me back slightly to look at my face.

"Mom?" I returned meekly.

Dad let out a knowing guffaw.

But Mom remained serious. She said, "Shauna, I would advise against forming relationships with anyone in your pack while you're Alpha."

_Oh, boy,_ I thought.

"It could get very complicated," Mom said sternly.

"Oh, come on, Leah," Dad chortled. "She's a young girl."

"That's my point, Jacob."

Dad shook his head. But then, he murmured gruffly, "Although, I will say that if you date any of the boys on the reservation, I'll have to have a word with them. A strict word."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because I know what all of their dads were like at our age, and I would not have trusted a single one of them to go anywhere near you," Dad replied.

"You knew what they were like? You mean, you talked about that kind of stuff when you were friends?" I said, surprised. As close as I was with Quil and Liam, I couldn't really imagine telling them about what I had been like with Benjamin.

"Not really talked. More… Well, we just knew things about each other," Dad clarified. "You'll see, Shauna. When everyone's inscribed with our tribe's mark, your mental connection will be much, much stronger, and everybody will be able to see into each other's thoughts at a much deeper level."

_Oh,_ I thought to myself. _Oh, shit._

* * *

I went on a run that night along the beach. Usually, running was a way to get out of my thoughts, but when I passed the hammock where Benjamin and I used to curl up in together, I couldn't avoid the topic anymore. I had to confront the question of: _What the hell happened between me and Theo last night?_

_Do I want him the way I want Benjamin?_ I thought. But the answer was very clearly: _No. If Benjamin told me he was open for a second chance, I'd run to him in a heartbeat. Hell, even if it wasn't a second chance, but just an opportunity to apologize to him, I'd go to him immediately._

_So, then, was what happened last night with Theo just about sex?_

But here, too, the answer was: _No, it's not just about sex. I know that intuitively. There's something else between us. I don't quite know how to explain it._ _It's just that the same things that made us butt heads before – our stubbornness and unwillingness to back down – is what makes me believe him when he says I can be an Alpha worth following… He's not the kind of person to lie to me, and our prior relationship was one where we simply didn't care about the other's feelings, so he has no incentive to lie to me. I guess, if I had to put a name to it, what's going on between us is some form of trust... And it's something that I appreciate sorely right now, even if, as Alpha, I can't and won't admit it._

I blew out a long, low breath as I slowly realized that Theo had become, in some strange way, someone meaningful to me.

Still deep in thought, I finally turned around and started to jog back home.

* * *

The next night, Theo and I drew our pack's symbolic tattoos on all of the other werewolves. The following morning, we were out in the woods with Sam, Paul, Uncle Seth, and Dad.

Everybody phased. I hesitated, scared of what Dad had told me about everyone's bonds being stronger now that we shared our pack's markings.

But after a moment of anxiety, I closed my eyes and shifted into my wolf form along with everybody else.

A blur of thoughts ran through my head all at once. Each and every one of these thoughts rang out louder and clearer than my own thoughts.

_Going to land a hit on you if you don't shut up -_

_Ha, I'd like to see you try-_

_Marc, stop wagging your tag like you're some puppy-_

_Wonder what our Dads looked like as wolves…_

_Shush,_ Theo's voice rang out. _I can't focus on anything with all this noise in my head._

I also shook my head back and forth, as though trying to lower the volume of the bizarre werewolf radio that was insanely turned up in my head.

"Yeah, you're feeling the effects of sharing a mark," Uncle Seth said knowingly, watching us all fidget uncomfortably. "It takes a while to get used to. But you'll be thankful for it if you ever have to fight."

"All right," Dad called. "Line up."

He looked over at Sam and nodded. Sam picked up the training, calling out instructions to all of us wolves. "We'll pair you up by size first, so that you won't hurt your partner with beginner mistakes. Once you've got some of the technique down, we can mix and match so you learn to fight with someone either stronger or faster than you."

Theo was clearly the largest wolf. Interestingly, Rebecca was the second-largest wolf after Theo. Quil was slightly larger than Marc, Liam, and me. Liam and I were both built as runners. Marc was definitely going to grow to be Quil or Theo's size, but as of now, he was still growing. At seventeen, Marc was our age, but he and Rebecca had been the last to phase of our current pack, so he was still waiting for his growth spurt to take hold fully.

Sam's gaze ran over us, sizing us up. At one point, his eyes fell on me. Then, he looked over at my Dad, who nodded back at him, granting him permission. Sam turned back to me and said, "All right, Quil and Shauna, pair up. Marc and Liam, you'll be the last pair."

I was a bit surprised that I was paired with Quil, since he was significantly larger than me.

_Scared?_ Quil asked me, amused.

_Frustrated. Because with you, I'll have to hold back,_ I retorted.

_Very mature, Billie,_ Liam thought.

_Hey…_ I said, slightly annoyed and slightly hurt.

_Oops. I didn't mean to think that out loud._

"Pay attention," Paul growled at us, seeing how distracted we were.

Uncle Seth shot Paul an amused look, as if to say, " _you're one to talk."_

Dad stepped forward. "All right. Here we go." He began to teach us basic defensive and offensive tactics.

Sam, Paul, and Seth walked around us, observing.

At once point, Paul said, "Rebecca. When you fight, you're not going to be on defensive all the time. You need to attack."

Rebecca growled, not wanting to.

_Try it,_ Theo thought. _Don't worry. You won't catch me._

Rebecca snorted. _I'm not worried about you. I just don't want to think about hurting anyone._

_Stop being such a baby,_ Quil thought to himself - only we all heard it.

Rebecca bristled.

_Shut up, Quil,_ I said, and lunged at him. He yelped, barely sidestepping my attack.

_Better focus on me instead of Rebecca, Quil_ , I teased him.

He grinned. _You'd be lucky if I focused on you, Billie._

I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

Both Liam and Marc laughed.

My thoughts almost flickered over to Theo, who was still silently watching Rebecca, but I managed to catch myself just in time.

Forcing myself to focus on the training, I quickly lunged for Quil again.

After a while, Dad called out, "All right, let's focus on one pair at a time."

"Stick with the moves we've taught you," Sam told us. "Don't try anything flashy."

Paul looked over at us and barked out, "Shauna, Quil, let's go."

Quil and I circled off, trying to read each other. But it was unexpectedly tense between us. All of the anger and doubt we'd felt towards each other and fostered in each other was starting to bubble up.

Paul shook his head and clicked his tongue in disapproval. "You've both missed opportunities. Come on."

_What's the matter? All that perimeter running tired you out?_ Quil taunted me.

I growled. _You asshole. It's because of you that Theo got hurt. You and Liam went off by yourselves._

_Because you wouldn't listen to us,_ Quil retorted.

_Because it was a stupid idea!_

_Yeah, right, Billie_ , Quil snorted. _You're just scared. Admit it - you're scared of the vampires._

I growled and then snapped, lunging forward.

Quil darted aside and then immediately made to lunge at me, twisting his body in mid-air.

_Whoa,_ Liam thought in admiration. _That's a move we haven't learned yet._

Quil caught my ear and bit - not too hard, but none too softly either. I snarled and rearing back on my hind legs, I used my front paws to aggressively push him off of me.

"Hey!" Dad shouted at Quil. "Basic maneuvers only."

_Oh, Daddy's girl, huh?_ Quil said, laughing.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_Don't get me wrong_ , Quil told me, _you're a strong werewolf on your own terms, Billie. And if not strong – fast as hell. But you know you wouldn't be Alpha unless your Dad was Alpha before._

_Oh, and technically, he wasn't,_ Quil tacked on. _Theo's dad was._

Everybody could sense my anger rising.

_I'm just saying. We all know how much you've butted heads with Theo over the years,_ Quil said to me. _It makes sense that you wouldn't want to give up your position to him. But you shouldn't let your pride get in the way. Do what your Dad did, Billie. Let Theo take over until you've grown strong enough to lead us, then become Alpha._

_Quil…_ Theo warned.

_It's not that I don't respect you as an Alpha,_ Quil said quickly, and I could tell that he was genuinely trying not to hurt my feelings. _And you're my friend. You know I respect you as a person. It's just that you're not the best thing for the pack right now._ _You've got to see that._

_I can be a good Alpha,_ I growled back.

_I know you can be someday,_ Quil agreed. _Just not right now._ _We're all struggling with this new life and all of the uncertainty. We need strength in unity, not in independence. And you're very independent. You always have been, Billie._

The others were dead silent, but I could feel Rebecca's reluctance to defend me, as well as Liam and Marc's general agreement with Quil.

_Yeah, Theo would be a good leader for now…_ Marc thought vaguely.

_He's calmer,_ Liam acknowledged. _More level-headed._

_You don't know,_ I fought back. _Y_ _ou don't know what I was born to be._ I thought back to the dream I'd had when Theo had drawn my tattoo on me – the dream of wind and trees. I knew, somehow, that such dreams linked me to this tribe in a deep way – deeper than blood, deeper than being a werewolf, even. Whatever I had felt in that dream was the true shape-shifting spirit, the origin of our werewolf form… It was inside of me and I understood it, implicitly. It was a matter of learning how to harness that for the tribe through me. _How can I show others this spiritual pathway inside me? How can I show my pack members my true self? Because I'm not just Billie, or even just Shauna. I'm_ … _"Willow."_ Theo's voice played out in my head in a soft gasp. At that moment, I inadvertently recalled how his lips felt pressed against my neck as he murmured my name.

Suddenly, the shock of the entire pack burst through my errant thoughts.

_What…? What the hell was that just now?_ Quil shook his head back and forth.

Behind us, Liam gave an embarrassed whimper.

Rebecca snorted. _So, that's what it's like, huh?_

_Theo?_ Marc said, turning over to him in wonder.

But Theo stayed perfectly still and kept his thoughts ambiguous.

In fact, Quil and I had both come to a stop too, not even bothering to pretend to circle each other anymore.

"What the hell's going on?" Paul shouted at Quil and me.

_Dad, stop yelling…_ Marc thought, lowering his head with his ears drooping.

Sam looked over at Theo, who was completely still from the tip of his ears to the end of his tail. Sam's brow furrowed. "All right, next pair," he called out. "Let's move it along. We need to get to group diversion tactics by tonight."

As I stepped away from the rest of the pack, Uncle Seth walked up to me. He put his hand on my neck and stroked my fur soothingly. "You all right?" he whispered to me. I nodded at him.

By the time all of the pairs had gone, the shock of my unintended revelation had worn off. Now, everyone was beyond themselves with glee and humor, wanting to tease me and Theo.

Quil's anger faded away entirely as he loped up to me. _If you like him so much, why don't you just date and let him take Alpha that way?_ He let out a strange, panting bark that I recognized as giddy laughter.

Hearing Quil's comment to me, Theo growled loudly.

_See?_ Quil said playfully, poking his paw at my side. _That protective thing going on with him now… That's Alpha behavior, right there._

At the exact same time, both Theo and I thought out loud, _Quil, shut the hell up._

Liam snorted as Theo's and my voices rang out in his head. _I guess the two of you are more alike than I thought._

_I refuse to talk about this any further,_ I said stiffly.

_Yeah, maybe we should focus,_ Rebecca said, watching her father's blood pressure rise as he realized we were distracted again. _Or my Dad might explode._

* * *

After we phased back, our fathers left, expecting us to follow them back. But naturally, everyone's playfulness began to act up again and all of the other werewolves stayed back to make fun of me some more.

"Well, well, well," Quil said, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Seriously, Quil – shut it," I told him, shoving him away.

He laughed. "Is this why you're so against Theo? Not because you hate him, but because you have a thing for him?"

"I don't have a _thing_ for him," I told him. "Piss off."

"You don't scare me anymore," Quil teased me. He reached over and pinched my cheek. "You're cute when you blush, Billie."

"Quil, I swear to God-" I growled.

He put his hands up and said, still laughing, "All right, all right. _Mrs. Uley_."

I made to punch him in the shoulder, but Quil side-stepped me and took off, still laughing loudly.

"Just ignore him," Rebecca muttered from behind me. "Quil's a complete idiot."

"Hey," Liam spoke up, "he's immature, but he's not an idiot."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know you're in love with Quil. Keep it to yourself."

Liam flushed. "I'm not – I'm not in love with him."

"Okay, I didn't realize being a werewolf came with all of _this_ ," Marc groaned, shaking his head. "I don't think I like this part of being a werewolf."

As we finally started to make our way back, I purposefully fell back from the group, but Theo noticed. He turned around and silently waited for me.

I hesitated, unwilling to be anywhere near him.

"Billie?" he said.

When he spoke my name aloud, I noticed the others turning around to look at us. I shook my head and hurriedly walked past Theo. His expression didn't change, but his eyes shadowed over and he followed after me without another word.

* * *

As the days passed and our training intensified, we started to come together as a group in terms of fighting and running. Dad was right – being able to share thoughts and instincts as quickly as we could run was essential to effective teamwork.

_If we had marks the first time around, we might have been able to catch that vampire,_ I thought, thinking of how Theo and I had been unable to coordinate the first time we had tried to work together.

_Yeah,_ Theo agreed.

_So, why don't we go after them now?_ Liam thought, pushing me carefully again. _We have the numbers now._

_I told you, Liam_ , I replied. Being mindful of Quil's accusations that I never seemed to actually listen to others, I tried my best to keep my impatience out of my voice as I explained once more, _We're focused on keeping our borders safe, and leaving it up to the Cullens to take care of the vampires._

_Who are the Cullens?_ Rebecca wondered.

_A group of bloodsuckers that apparently, we trust,_ Quil answered sarcastically.

_What?_ Rebecca said, startled. _Why?_

_Because – ah, what was it that Billie said? History and circumstance?_

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Rebecca asked.

_They've had our backs before, and we've had theirs,_ I explained.

_But hasn't it been a while since we struck the deal with them?_ Liam wondered.

Marc, too, thought aloud, _Billie, I don't know too much about this, but doesn't it feel weird that we're trusting the vampires to take care of our problem?_

_Exactly,_ Quil thought. _At this point, we're just waiting for bad things to happen to us._

I no longer replied, unable to respond with confidence, but equally as unwilling to admit my uncertainty.

After we phased back, we all went back to the Uleys' house. Theo started handing out water bottles. When he handed me mine, he tried to talk to me, but I quickly said, "Thanks," and moved away from him.

* * *

That night, I fell asleep early. Actually, falling asleep early had become a bit of a habit now. I was exhausted from all of the physical training we were going through. Furthermore, trying to keep my thoughts and doubts to myself all day drained me mentally, especially now that it was far too easy to let my thoughts slip through into the shared "pack broadcast."

I knew Mom was concerned about me. I overheard her talking to Dad about it once, early in the morning, when she thought I was still sleeping.

"Jacob, she's just a young girl. No matter how tough she is, this is too much responsibility for her."

"Leah, I feel the same way you do."

"Then, why don't you take on the Alpha mantle again?"

"It's not that I wouldn't do it. You know I would, if it protected Shauna. But there's something about her, Leah. I think she's supposed to be Alpha. I think she's meant to do it."

"That doesn't make any sense. It was supposed to be Gabe."

"Yes, that's true. But…" I heard my father sigh. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just that I feel a different spirit in Shauna. I've never felt it before, except in Dad. Even Sam didn't have it, not even close."

"Sam had a different strength," Mom agreed. "Pure personality force."

"Yeah, I think you're right…"

"Jacob, I don't want Shauna to get sucked into all this, the way we did," Mom said. I heard a deep worry in her voice that she usually never let me see because she hid it away inside her or underneath her shell of anger.

"I know, Leah. But this is different. We can help. We've been through this before," Dad reassured her. "And I think this generation is meant to do something that we couldn't achieve…"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly. It's just a feeling I get."

* * *

I was lost in sleep when I heard a knock on my door. "Shauna, can I come in?"

"No," I moaned tiredly. "Go away, Dad."

"Someone's here to see you."

"I don't wanna – Tell 'em to come back," I murmured, burying my head under my pillow.

The door opened. "Shauna. It's only nine o'clock. You can't possibly be- Oh." My father stopped as he realized I really was sleeping. I was wearing one of Gabe's old shirts and long pajama bottoms.

Upon seeing my father, I groaned and sat up. "What, Dad?"

Behind Dad, I saw someone shift uncomfortably.

"Theo?" I said in disbelief.

"Er, yeah, I can come back another time," he said.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Shauna," Dad reprimanded me. "Don't talk to your second-in-command like that."

"It's okay, Mr. Black," Theo replied. "It's my fault for bothering her. I'll go."

"Is something wrong with the pack?" I asked, yawning.

"Well, I think she's up now," Dad told Theo wryly.

Still yawning, I got up and followed Theo out of the house.

* * *

We went out to the front porch. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him.

"What's up?" I asked him. "Is someone in trouble?"

"No," Theo assured me quickly. "No, it's not that."

"Oh." I paused, unable to think of why else he would be here. "Okay…" I said slowly. Trying not to sound rude, I inquired, "Then, why are you here?"

"Because you won't give me a chance to speak with you otherwise," he said straightforwardly, looking directly into my eyes. "You've been avoiding me."

"No," I said immediately.

"No?" He stepped closer to me. I quickly shifted back.

"You sure about that?" he asked, lifting his eyebrow at me.

"Fine," I muttered. "Maybe a little."

"Well, I think either you can try to avoid me forever, or we can just talk about whatever's bothering you."

"I like Plan A," I told him frankly.

Theo paused. Then, he said calmly, "I think we owe it to our pack to go with Plan B."

"Oh God, Theo. I hate this part of you," I moaned. "Always trying to be the bigger person, always trying to do the right thing. Can't we just pretend like it never happened?"

Theo looked at me, utterly bewildered. "You hate that I try to do the right thing?" he said, his voice shot through with confusion.

"Well, no, I didn't mean - " I let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't mean that _literally_ , you fool. I just mean that… It makes me uncomfortable. There's this way about you where you take things head-on that makes me… uncomfortable. All right?"

"Billie, you, of all people, cannot tell me that I take things head-on. You literally ran straight into a clearing of five vampires," Theo deadpanned.

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?" I asked him, irritated.

"No. It was the stupidest thing I've ever seen."

"Fantastic. This is what you woke me up for? To drag me out and call me stupid?"

"No. You're twisting my words, and you know it," Theo said, suddenly serious again.

I fell quiet. After a long beat of silence, I asked him, "What, then? What did you come here to talk about?"

"I'm here to... to tell you that I don't intend to make you feel uncomfortable," Theo said. His voice was firm, but his gaze slowly wavered from my face to my feet. "What happened… happened, and though I would have preferred to keep it to ourselves, since it's out, I feel that we shouldn't be embarrassed by it."

"I'm not embarrassed by… what we did," I murmured, though I could feel a flush on my face.

"You're not?" He blinked in surprise.

"No."

"But you regret it?" he pressed.

I hesitated. "No…"

Theo paused, trying to understand me. "Then, why are you angry with me?"

"What?" I abruptly looked up at him. "You think I'm angry at you?"

"Of course. Like I said, you keep avoiding me. It's pretty obvious you'd rather not have anything to do with me."

"It's not like that," I said. I sighed and murmured, slightly bitterly, "It's just that… The others already don't take me seriously as Alpha."

"Why would that change based on something like this?"

"Because I'm a girl, Theo," I said, finally, frustrated. "There's a stigma attached to… to being with someone that can be demeaning for girls, even though it shouldn't. Don't you see that in college? Guys being praised for getting with lots of girls, and girls being shamed for the same thing."

"Quil isn't like that."

"No, he's not," I agreed. "But his teasing brings about the same effect. The pack will think I'm not taking my position seriously if I'm distracted by... by my second-in-command."

Theo didn't reply for a long moment, letting my words sink in. Then, he nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't think about that."

"It's not your fault," I replied. "If anything, it's mine. I'm sorry I let it slip. I didn't meant to put you on the spot like that."

Theo shrugged. "It's not like you meant to broadcast that to the pack."

"I certainly didn't," I said wryly.

"But… do you get why I don't want to be seen with you?" I asked him. "I don't want any more talk about us. I don't care if it's true or not. I just can't have it. Not now. Not ever."

"If _what's_ true or not?" Theo repeated, confused.

I paused. It had slipped out. _Oh, God._ What I had meant, of course, was whether it was true or not that I might actually have started having feelings for Theo, in some strange way...

"You know what I mean," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"No, I don't."

"Then just let it go," I retorted thinly, fed up with his straightforwardness. _How does he do it? Be so honest all the time? It bothers the crap out of me, because it means I can't really hide anything from him. And I need to right now._

"Billie, I get if you don't want to be seen with me because you need to uphold your Alpha image. But I don't think you should _lie_ about anything for the sake of image," Theo said in a measured tone. "That's not good for you or for the pack."

"Theo," I said, totally done with him, "please just go home."

"Billie?"

"Go home. It's late." Without another word, I walked back into the house, closing the door behind me.

Theo stared at my front door, confused to all hell. But he respected my request to leave, and slowly turned away and walked back home.

* * *

Ironically, I couldn't fall back asleep that night. With a childish groan, I threw my pillow at the wall to let off some steam.

Hearing the soft thump against my wall, Dad poked his head into my room. He found me sitting at the edge of my bed, thinking.

"Shauna? Can I come in?"

"Guess so," I muttered grumpily. "It's not like I'm sleeping anymore."

"Courtesy of Theo Uley," Dad said knowingly.

"That prick," I muttered.

Dad smiled a little at my annoyed face, but he also took a seat directly beside me on the bed instead of taking my chair from the desk, which meant that he was genuinely worried for me.

"Dad?" I questioned, dropping the childish act and looking up at him seriously.

Dad studied my expression for a moment before he told me gently, "Shauna, being a leader doesn't always mean sacrificing your self-interest."

"What are you talking about?"

"Despite what your mother said, if you happen to... develop feelings for someone - "

"Oh, Dad, please don't - " I clasped my hands over my ears. I knew I was acting immaturely, but this was the last thing I wanted to talk about with my father right now.

"I know, Shauna, but bear with me." Dad reached over and pulled my hands away from my head.

I sighed and stubbornly put my head in my hands again, though I didn't cover my ears.

Dad ignored my pose and continued, "If you want to be the leader of something that endures, the way our tribe does, you have to grow with everyone else. That means allowing yourself to grow in your personal life, too. You can't let this 'leader' position silence your own needs and wants. Otherwise, you won't be able to last as a leader and you won't be as compassionate as you need to be when others come to you with their issues."

"I know," I mumbled. My heart sank as I acknowledged that Dad's words were true. It wasn't that I didn't know all this already. It was that I didn't feel brave enough to be honest about anything right now.

Dad paused. "Sweetheart," he said softly, "look at me."

I lifted my head and looked at him, trying to hide how suddenly miserable I felt.

"I'm your dad, Shauna. I just want you to be happy," he said warmly. "And your mom feels the same way. We want our little girl to be happy."

"Forget about the pack. Trust me, we already know how fierce you are. And while the pack is the pack, at the end of the day, our little family of five - four," Dad amended quickly, "is the most important thing."

My eyes softened when I saw Dad remember that Grandpa was no longer with us. "Dad," I murmured. I reached out and hugged him.

He returned my hug. After a long moment, he said softly, "All right. Now, get some sleep."

I nodded and fell back against my pillows. Dad tucked me in and kissed my forehead before he left my room. I stared up at the ceiling for a long time, thinking of all the things that Dad had said to me, before my eyes finally slipped shut.


End file.
